Confirmed Upcoming MMA Event
Bellator 301: Amosov vs. Jackson
- Friday 11.17.2023 at 05:00 PM ET
- U.S. Broadcast: Showtime | Prelims: YouTube
- Promotion: Bellator MMA
- Ownership: Bellator Sport Worldwide, LLC
- Venue: Wintrust Arena
- Location: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Enclosure: Cage
- MMA Bouts: 15
-
Promotion Links:
Fight Card
Event Discussion
09.28.2023 | 3:36 PM ET
Prediction Comments
Mamedov vs. Mota
Islam Mamedov, DEC
I can’t believe I’m picking mamedov after that embarrassment of a performance last time out. I have never held him in high regard but holy **** that last fight was hard to watch; the only time I’ve seen less competitive effort in a fight was brundage vs dumas. Mamedov has always fought to the level of his opponents & can be outgrappled despite his background but he looked like an amateur grappler against outlaw. Now, we’ve seen outlaw isn’t actually as bad as we all thought but still. Mamedov just let outlaw wet blanket him at will & didn’t really try to win that fight. However, It should be noted that outlaw has always been a pretty good grappler (and was on roids; can’t tell me he was clean after popping for three substances only 5 months prior) so there’s that. Mota is a great fighter. Super well rounded & has gained a lot of experience at this point. I’m not sure he can outgrapple mamedov but who knows at this point. I had heard when he was figbting for Eagle fc that mamedov was close to retirement, maybe that day will come on Bellator 301. Honestly might switch this pick but I’m on the fence. Maybe I’ll watch tape on Bellator for once
Colgan vs. Buist
Archie Colgan, TKO, R2
I really like colgan. He is one of the very rare Bellator wrestling prospects with a future. And not just any future, but a very bright one for colgan. When he first signed to Bellator, the talent was clearly there he just needed some refining. In his last few, man he has looked good. Colgan wrestling has always been high level but his hands have improved so much; watching him just melt Jacob montalvo was honestly scary. Montalvo is a decent fighter and colgan made it look like they didn’t even belong in the cage together. Now, he’s fighting an ojt of prime kickboxer, who has never had good tdd. This will be a massacre & I think buist is getting his first ko loss here. Likely by gnp
Velasquez vs. Cristina
Paula Cristina, DEC
I’m going to be contrarian & take the dog here. Now, I didn’t watch a second of bittencourts last fight so I don’t know how to gauge how she looked. However, I am picking her as a fade on Velasquez. I have never really liked her & she has been on a major decline. Two losses to carmouche is nothing to scoff at but I thought her fight over kielholtz was a really bad ribbery. Kielholtz beat her in pretty much every aspect of mma yet got the decision. Regardless of that outcome, she has not looked good since & has only gotten older. Maybe this isn’t the spot to fade but idk I’m not a fan of her style
Taylor-Melendez vs. Sengül
Keri Taylor-Melendez, DEC
Melendez was decent when she was fighting but 3 years away and pushing 40 is definitely a concern. However, her opponent isn’t exactly young & is also getting ko’ed by 0-0 girls & losing to Hassa gabnrr. Hard to trust Melendez but she’s the A side here
Islam Mamedov, DEC
I can’t believe I’m picking mamedov after that embarrassment of a performance last time out. I have never held him in high regard but holy **** that last fight was hard to watch; the only time I’ve seen less competitive effort in a fight was brundage vs dumas. Mamedov has always fought to the level of his opponents & can be outgrappled despite his background but he looked like an amateur grappler against outlaw. Now, we’ve seen outlaw isn’t actually as bad as we all thought but still. Mamedov just let outlaw wet blanket him at will & didn’t really try to win that fight. However, It should be noted that outlaw has always been a pretty good grappler (and was on roids; can’t tell me he was clean after popping for three substances only 5 months prior) so there’s that. Mota is a great fighter. Super well rounded & has gained a lot of experience at this point. I’m not sure he can outgrapple mamedov but who knows at this point. I had heard when he was figbting for Eagle fc that mamedov was close to retirement, maybe that day will come on Bellator 301. Honestly might switch this pick but I’m on the fence. Maybe I’ll watch tape on Bellator for once
Colgan vs. Buist
Archie Colgan, TKO, R2
I really like colgan. He is one of the very rare Bellator wrestling prospects with a future. And not just any future, but a very bright one for colgan. When he first signed to Bellator, the talent was clearly there he just needed some refining. In his last few, man he has looked good. Colgan wrestling has always been high level but his hands have improved so much; watching him just melt Jacob montalvo was honestly scary. Montalvo is a decent fighter and colgan made it look like they didn’t even belong in the cage together. Now, he’s fighting an ojt of prime kickboxer, who has never had good tdd. This will be a massacre & I think buist is getting his first ko loss here. Likely by gnp
Velasquez vs. Cristina
Paula Cristina, DEC
I’m going to be contrarian & take the dog here. Now, I didn’t watch a second of bittencourts last fight so I don’t know how to gauge how she looked. However, I am picking her as a fade on Velasquez. I have never really liked her & she has been on a major decline. Two losses to carmouche is nothing to scoff at but I thought her fight over kielholtz was a really bad ribbery. Kielholtz beat her in pretty much every aspect of mma yet got the decision. Regardless of that outcome, she has not looked good since & has only gotten older. Maybe this isn’t the spot to fade but idk I’m not a fan of her style
Taylor-Melendez vs. Sengül
Keri Taylor-Melendez, DEC
Melendez was decent when she was fighting but 3 years away and pushing 40 is definitely a concern. However, her opponent isn’t exactly young & is also getting ko’ed by 0-0 girls & losing to Hassa gabnrr. Hard to trust Melendez but she’s the A side here
* Edited at 09.28.2023, 3:40 PM ET *
09.28.2023 | 3:36 PM ET
Man this glitch where it auto enters ur picks while making them is ******* obnoxious. Sorry for spam not my intention
09.28.2023 | 4:10 PM ET
Prediction Comments
Amosov vs. Jackson
Yaroslav Amosov, DEC
This is a terrible fight. Both very good fighters, amosov especially as I think he is one of the best 170ers in the world. However, he is so boring & he is fighting what may be the least exciting fighter on bellators roster. Jason jackson has no redeemable qualities. I found him to be an annoying prick on TUF and his fight style refeclts that. Jackson doesn’t come to fight, he comes to wet blanket. That’s all he does in every fight, he takes you down & lays on you, never once looking to advance position or finish the fight. There is a 0% chance he can outwrestle amosov. My only hope for this fight is that jackson gets ktfo. I am not going to watch a 25 minute wrestling match
Pettis vs. Mix
Patchy Mix, SUB, R3
This is one of the best fights you could make in all of mma let alone just Bellator. I’ve always really liked pettis so it’s been cool to see him win the belt in bellator; he always had skills in the ufc but was constantly rushed too early. He has looked so good in his last couple & we’ve also seen some of that showtime flair in his fights, be it the wheel kick he hit pitbull with or the insane backfist he hit on kyoji. However, I think he is screwed here; patchy is one of the best bantamweights in the world. He is like aljo but even bigger & way better striking. Pettis is at a huge size disadvantage & unless he pulls off another showtime come behind win, I don’t know how he can win this fight. Patchy is on another level
Pitbull vs. Shabliy
Alexander Shabliy, TKO, R2
Satoshi de Souza must be a fraud if he let pitbull beat his ass. Patricky is very lucky to be in this tournament; should’ve been his brother but oh well. Shabily way better striker and hopefully he puts patricky out cold
Stots vs. Sabatello II
Danny Sabatello, DEC
Weird rematch but I’m here for it. I picked stots in the first fight but I think I’m going sabatello this time. Stots is an incredible fighter but you could start to see the wear and tear in some of his recent fights. Whether it be losing to archuleta before the ko or how badly he got slept against patchy. I don’t think stots is washed but I do believe his prime is past him. Again, still very good as a fighter but I don’t think there’s going to be any improvements to his game at this point in time. Their first fight was super close. I thought stots won but you could definitely make an argument for sabatello. Sabatellos chain wrestling is soooo good; stots could not keep Danny off of him. If Danny would actively hunt for finishes or mix in gnp, I think he would be one of bellators best fighters; his wrestling is so ******* good. Given that stots was fighting an uphill battle the first time & is aging, I think sabatello gets it done this time
McKee Jr. vs. Outlaw
AJ McKee Jr., TKO, R2
Outlaw looked incredible his last fight. He’s always been a pretty good grappler but he appeared to level up in his time off. Now, that could be due to the steroids he’s on & the fact that mamedov just outright sucks but out wrestling a Russian as a big dog is impressive. However, I doubt he beats mckee. I don’t think mckee is nearly as good at 155 but he is still a formidable opponent. He is super well rounded & while he has all the advantages in the feet, I think he’s going to willingly grapple with outlaw. Mckee is a very creative grappler in his own right. I think he is better than outlaw everywhere but I do worry he will willingly give up takedowns to engage in grappling
James vs. Isaev
Daniel James, TKO, R2
Okay now this is a very hard one. I love me some Daniel James; he is a physical freak & roid monster who ko’s everyone. He managed to survive a tour of ACA & had some very exciting ko’s. His Bellator run was awesome but being a 42 year old, he had to lose eventually. I know his wrestling sucks but he has usually faired better in the past; was very dissapointed to see him just accept positions. Now, getting wrestled by a bum & facing a former Olympian is very different. Isaev in his prime was a terrifying heavyweight. He had that elite wrestling background bt learned how to strike. However, after winning the pfl tournament he kinda stopped giving a ****. He took a 4 year break & looked very bad in his comeback fight. He was able to survive to a draw through controlling mowry in round 1 and 3 but you could see he has clearly lost a step. He’s not nearly as fast or atheltic as he used to be, his cardio isn’t good, and honestly his wrestling isn’t that good eitber. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still an Olympian but he is not the 2019 Isaev we were used to. Watching him try to lat drop mowry (an amateur move at the pro level in mma) and get 10-8 as a result was crazy stupid to watch. I think Isaev gave all he and left in that last fight. Maybe he proves me wrong and lays on james for three rounds but given that both are old I think I will go with the guy on steroids
Fortune vs. Golm
Marcelo Golm, TKO, R2
I simply can’t pick fortune over anyone with a pulse. Fortune has the worst fight iq I’ve ever seen and constantly finds new ways to lose fights. He can wrestle but his ability is very overrated; he makes constant mistakes & it’s very easy to reverse position. Golm is pretty **** but he has improved a lot since going to ATT. I think he will defend takedowns or at least avoid serious damage in the ground and will ko a gassed fortune after fortune does something hilariously stupid
Khizriev vs. Gonzales
Justin Gonzales, DEC
I think khzriev is a ******* monster but with only 4% on Gonzales I feel like I almost have to pick him. Don’t get me wrong, I think timur was great but the tap odds don’t reflect how close this fight actually is. J train is a great wrestler in his own right. While timur is more well rounded and has Greta striking, he looked very pedestrian last fight. I was shocked by how bad his cardio looked. I’m gonna take j train for the upset, if timur doesn’t have wrestling success he will gas out later in the fight
Hamel vs. Wilde
Mike Hamel, DEC
I was very impressed with Wilde last time out. CG is one of my favorite fighters to bet on in bellator because he has a very good skillset yet unassuming record so the bookies never properly line him. I expected him to run through Wilde & came out shocked. Wilde’s wrestling defense looked great & his striking looked good like it always does. However, he’s facing yet another one of my favorite figbters to pick in Bellator; Mike hamel. You wanna talk about a deceiving record? Hamel has just that. 3 of his losses came early in his career (1 was a dq) and his only two Bellator losses are to Usman and Borics, who are very very good. Hamel comes out of the mma lab and you know those guys are always well rounded. I expect hamel to look good here
Kielholtz vs. Inaba
Denise Kielholtz, DEC
Finally I can fade inaba. She has been bellators golden girl & while she has kept on winning & has definitely proven to be more than a can crusher, I’m just still not sold. Kielholtz has an incredibly ugly record but she is a top contender in bellator for a reason. She has a high level kickboxing game but also has pretty decent grappling. I think this is where inaba finally loses her 0
Yaroslav Amosov, DEC
This is a terrible fight. Both very good fighters, amosov especially as I think he is one of the best 170ers in the world. However, he is so boring & he is fighting what may be the least exciting fighter on bellators roster. Jason jackson has no redeemable qualities. I found him to be an annoying prick on TUF and his fight style refeclts that. Jackson doesn’t come to fight, he comes to wet blanket. That’s all he does in every fight, he takes you down & lays on you, never once looking to advance position or finish the fight. There is a 0% chance he can outwrestle amosov. My only hope for this fight is that jackson gets ktfo. I am not going to watch a 25 minute wrestling match
Pettis vs. Mix
Patchy Mix, SUB, R3
This is one of the best fights you could make in all of mma let alone just Bellator. I’ve always really liked pettis so it’s been cool to see him win the belt in bellator; he always had skills in the ufc but was constantly rushed too early. He has looked so good in his last couple & we’ve also seen some of that showtime flair in his fights, be it the wheel kick he hit pitbull with or the insane backfist he hit on kyoji. However, I think he is screwed here; patchy is one of the best bantamweights in the world. He is like aljo but even bigger & way better striking. Pettis is at a huge size disadvantage & unless he pulls off another showtime come behind win, I don’t know how he can win this fight. Patchy is on another level
Pitbull vs. Shabliy
Alexander Shabliy, TKO, R2
Satoshi de Souza must be a fraud if he let pitbull beat his ass. Patricky is very lucky to be in this tournament; should’ve been his brother but oh well. Shabily way better striker and hopefully he puts patricky out cold
Stots vs. Sabatello II
Danny Sabatello, DEC
Weird rematch but I’m here for it. I picked stots in the first fight but I think I’m going sabatello this time. Stots is an incredible fighter but you could start to see the wear and tear in some of his recent fights. Whether it be losing to archuleta before the ko or how badly he got slept against patchy. I don’t think stots is washed but I do believe his prime is past him. Again, still very good as a fighter but I don’t think there’s going to be any improvements to his game at this point in time. Their first fight was super close. I thought stots won but you could definitely make an argument for sabatello. Sabatellos chain wrestling is soooo good; stots could not keep Danny off of him. If Danny would actively hunt for finishes or mix in gnp, I think he would be one of bellators best fighters; his wrestling is so ******* good. Given that stots was fighting an uphill battle the first time & is aging, I think sabatello gets it done this time
McKee Jr. vs. Outlaw
AJ McKee Jr., TKO, R2
Outlaw looked incredible his last fight. He’s always been a pretty good grappler but he appeared to level up in his time off. Now, that could be due to the steroids he’s on & the fact that mamedov just outright sucks but out wrestling a Russian as a big dog is impressive. However, I doubt he beats mckee. I don’t think mckee is nearly as good at 155 but he is still a formidable opponent. He is super well rounded & while he has all the advantages in the feet, I think he’s going to willingly grapple with outlaw. Mckee is a very creative grappler in his own right. I think he is better than outlaw everywhere but I do worry he will willingly give up takedowns to engage in grappling
James vs. Isaev
Daniel James, TKO, R2
Okay now this is a very hard one. I love me some Daniel James; he is a physical freak & roid monster who ko’s everyone. He managed to survive a tour of ACA & had some very exciting ko’s. His Bellator run was awesome but being a 42 year old, he had to lose eventually. I know his wrestling sucks but he has usually faired better in the past; was very dissapointed to see him just accept positions. Now, getting wrestled by a bum & facing a former Olympian is very different. Isaev in his prime was a terrifying heavyweight. He had that elite wrestling background bt learned how to strike. However, after winning the pfl tournament he kinda stopped giving a ****. He took a 4 year break & looked very bad in his comeback fight. He was able to survive to a draw through controlling mowry in round 1 and 3 but you could see he has clearly lost a step. He’s not nearly as fast or atheltic as he used to be, his cardio isn’t good, and honestly his wrestling isn’t that good eitber. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still an Olympian but he is not the 2019 Isaev we were used to. Watching him try to lat drop mowry (an amateur move at the pro level in mma) and get 10-8 as a result was crazy stupid to watch. I think Isaev gave all he and left in that last fight. Maybe he proves me wrong and lays on james for three rounds but given that both are old I think I will go with the guy on steroids
Fortune vs. Golm
Marcelo Golm, TKO, R2
I simply can’t pick fortune over anyone with a pulse. Fortune has the worst fight iq I’ve ever seen and constantly finds new ways to lose fights. He can wrestle but his ability is very overrated; he makes constant mistakes & it’s very easy to reverse position. Golm is pretty **** but he has improved a lot since going to ATT. I think he will defend takedowns or at least avoid serious damage in the ground and will ko a gassed fortune after fortune does something hilariously stupid
Khizriev vs. Gonzales
Justin Gonzales, DEC
I think khzriev is a ******* monster but with only 4% on Gonzales I feel like I almost have to pick him. Don’t get me wrong, I think timur was great but the tap odds don’t reflect how close this fight actually is. J train is a great wrestler in his own right. While timur is more well rounded and has Greta striking, he looked very pedestrian last fight. I was shocked by how bad his cardio looked. I’m gonna take j train for the upset, if timur doesn’t have wrestling success he will gas out later in the fight
Hamel vs. Wilde
Mike Hamel, DEC
I was very impressed with Wilde last time out. CG is one of my favorite fighters to bet on in bellator because he has a very good skillset yet unassuming record so the bookies never properly line him. I expected him to run through Wilde & came out shocked. Wilde’s wrestling defense looked great & his striking looked good like it always does. However, he’s facing yet another one of my favorite figbters to pick in Bellator; Mike hamel. You wanna talk about a deceiving record? Hamel has just that. 3 of his losses came early in his career (1 was a dq) and his only two Bellator losses are to Usman and Borics, who are very very good. Hamel comes out of the mma lab and you know those guys are always well rounded. I expect hamel to look good here
Kielholtz vs. Inaba
Denise Kielholtz, DEC
Finally I can fade inaba. She has been bellators golden girl & while she has kept on winning & has definitely proven to be more than a can crusher, I’m just still not sold. Kielholtz has an incredibly ugly record but she is a top contender in bellator for a reason. She has a high level kickboxing game but also has pretty decent grappling. I think this is where inaba finally loses her 0
View Discussion & Reply
Fight Predictions
Tapology members can make predictions for upcoming MMA & Boxing fights. Bellator 301 is still open for picks to be entered. Create an account to make your predictions.
Below is the current breakdown of event predictions:
-
96%4%
-
5%95%
-
81%19%
-
93%7%
-
82%18%
-
95%5%
-
15%85%
-
90%10%
-
92%8%
-
2%
-
80%20%
