This is a disappointing Bellator card. I was never sure what “Champions Series” meant but this card makes it pretty clear that it doesn't mean it will have championship fights. I was going to make a video for this card but with the cancellation of Eblen vs. Edwards 2 I will just do the article this week. My tape study for Contender Series Week 6 is done so expect my article for that soon as well.

Leah McCourt (8-3) vs. Sara Collins (5-0) – Women's Featherweight

I have been wrong about Sara Collins in both of her fights so far in Bellator. She has managed to go 2-0 and now has a main event slot. The reason why I have picked against her in the past is because I think that she is too one dimensional. She is mostly a grappler who uses the clinch to control her opponents and drag them to the ground. McCourt is almost the same. I was never super high on her even though Bellator clearly tried to build her up as a prospect, and then a contender. She is coming off her best performance yet with a finish win over Sara McMann. This is a bad main event even by Bellator's recent standards and I am unsure of who to pick. I am going to slightly side with McCourt to win a decision. I recommend not betting on this fight. Very low confidence.

Simeon Powell (9-1) vs. Rafael Xavier (13-7) – Light Heavyweight

You are paying a lot of tax on Powell for this one. Yes he should win but at -450 these odds are a bit wide. Powell is a great athlete in this weight class, being both tall and explosive. He is a great striker that likes to fight from range. He is unfortunately coming off his first loss in a poor performance against Jakob Nedoh. In that fight he allowed Nedoh to back him up and he looked almost afraid of the power coming back at him. This is a step down in competition but he should still give Xavier some respect. Xavier has turned his career around, going 6-1 in his last 7 and having a somewhat successful stint in the popular European promotion OKTAGON. He is also a striker but will be at a big size disadvantage. I am going to pick Powell to win by KO/TKO in round 1. Medium-high confidence.

Luke Trainer (8-1) vs. Laurynas Urbonovicius (14-1) – Light Heavyweight

Trainer is also a big favourite here. Like Powell, he is a huge guy for this weight class and a great athlete. 7 of his 8 wins have come by finish, with his most recent fight being the first time he won a decision. These two were booked to fight in 2023 but it got cancelled. Urbonovicius is nearly 37 years old now and has only fought twice in the last 5 years. Most of his wins come by KO in round 1 over very low level opponents. Despite these results he looks to mostly be a wrestler. Trainer is well rounded and I think he should be better everywhere. It's hard to tell what Urbonovicius is going to look like as his tape his limited and even then he hasn't fought anyone near Trainer's level. Trainer has proven he can defend take downs, and even get his own. This fight will likely go to the ground somehow and if that is the case I like Trainer's ability to lock up submissions from dominant positions. So my pick in Trainer by submission in round 1. High confidence.

Marc Diakiese (17-7) vs. Tim Wilde (17-5-1) – Lightweight

Diakiese was cut from the UFC despite coming off a win. Likely because he was too boring with his new wrestling style. Diakiese started off as a striker but then developed his wrestling a lot and started to really change his style. His wrestling should work here. Tim Wilde is getting older now as he 37 at 155 lbs. He is a dangerous striker and has proven recently that he can beat this style of match up, as he holds a somewhat recent win over Saul Rogers who is also an English wrestler. I think that Bellator sees this as a good match up for Diakiese's debut. It is a fight in which he shouldn't be out classed on the feet too much, and he should be able to mix in his take downs. He hasn't proven to be super dangerous on the ground so if he looks to wrestle he likely extends the fight. Because of this, I am picking Marc Diakiese to win his Bellator debut by decision. Medium confidence.

Archie Colgan (10-0) vs. Manoel Sousa (11-0) – Lightweight

I am a big fan of Colgan's game and have been a believer in him since he beat Justin Montalvo at his own game by boxing him. Colgan is well rounded, with a boxer-wrestler style. He is coming off 4 good wins in a row now, one of them being against former ONE Championship fighter Peter Buist. He fights another promising prospect in Sousa. Sousa is mostly a striker who has fought great competition in Brazil before fighting for Cage Fury FC and PFL. I think Colgan will have a size advantage here which isn't something he has often. I think he can capitalize on this and use his wrestling in this match up. I am going to pick Colgan by decision. Low-medium confidence.

QUICK PRELIM PICKS:

Mike Shipman (+110). By KO/TKO. Low confidence.

Joseph Luciano (-165). By submission. Low confidence.

Ciaran Clarke (-215). By submission. Low confidence.

Darragh Kelly (+170). By submission. Very low confidence.