Matches to Make After Bellator London

For the second straight weekend, Bellator MMA held shows with plenty of young talent on display from top to bottom. In the main event, featherweights Leah McCourt and Sara Collins faced off in a No. 1 contender fight for a potential fight against champion Cris Cyborg.

Professional Fighters League Europe star Simeon Powell was featured in the Bellator Champions Series London co-main event as he returned home. Although he came up short in the 2023 PFL Europe Championship, he remains a bright prospect on the PFL/Bellator roster.

Here are the fights to make following Bellator Champions Series London:

Sara Collins vs. Cris Cyborg

Admitting to having nerves in the build-up to the main event slot against McCourt, Collins made short work of the biggest fight of her young career. With a 5-0 professional record heading into the No. 1 contender fight against McCourt, Collins got to work and closed the show quickly in the first round. During her short Bellator tenure, Collins has defeated veterans Pam Sorenson, Sinead Kavanagh and now McCourt. She’s rolling through the competition and now with the top contender spot in the division, she’s undeniably next for a title fight. The only issue that may lie ahead for Collins is what happens on Oct. 19. If Cyborg defeats Larissa Pacheco, it’ll be interesting to see if she returns and continues her Bellator championship tenure. If Pacheco were to defeat Cyborg, it would be interesting to see if she would be matchup with Collins, if Cyborg were to vacate her belt.

Simeon Powell vs. Jakob Nedoh

How about a rematch as part of the PFL Global roster? Nedoh defeated Powell in the 2023 PFL Europe Championship and while Powell was sidelined since that fight, Nedoh was part of the PFL Light Heavyweight season, where he went 0-2. After Powell’s razor-close win over Rafael Xavier, he called for more activity moving forward and Nedoh hasn’t fought since June. It could be a battle to see who makes the PFL Light Heavyweight season in 2025, but Powell vs. Nedoh presents a big opportunity for each fighter. For Powell, he could avenge the lone loss of his career and stamp his place in the PFL Global season for next year. He was just pushed to the limit by Xavier, and there’s no better challenge to show his growth than facing someone who has already defeated him.

Related » Bellator London Round-by-Round Scoring

Luke Trainer vs. Corey Anderson - Light Heavyweight title fight

Calling for a title fight immediately after quickly defeating Laurynas Urbonavicius by first-round submission, Trainer, who is 9-1 in his career and currently riding a four-fight winning streak, has made his statement in the light heavyweight division and calling your shot is never a bad thing. Anderson has not competed since defeating Karl Moore but should welcome the 28-year old challenger as a next title defense. It took quite some time for action to move along in Bellator’s light heavyweight division, and now with Anderson as champion, he’s got a proven challenger in Trainer.

Marc Diakiese vs. Clay Collard

Leading into this fight, Diakiese discussed the showcase opportunity he had coming into this fight against Tim Wilde. Diakiese had mentioned his future with the PFL in 2025 and saw some names that were intriguing to him. One name he was willing to share is a PFL staple in Collard. On paper, it presents as a fantastic striking matchup, but Diakiese continues to show an improved wrestling game which has been a downfall for Collard. An exciting matchup between a flashy striker in Diakiese and Collard, known for his boxing, is sure to entertain. Whether it be early in the year in 2025 or to kickoff the 2025 lightweight regular season, this is a matchup that would not only entertain fans but given the PFL’s scoring format, could play a big role in both men’s pursuit of a title in 2025.

Archie Colgan vs. loser of Paul Hughes/A.J. McKee

Just a week ago, Jora Ayvazyan looked to be in line for the winner of Colgan vs Sousa, but there’s got to be a bigger test for Colgan. Doing what he had to do to secure the victory, Colgan has continued to make himself undeniable and in his pre-fight interview he mentioned the possibility of facing McKee, but he’s currently booked. With McKee set to face Hughes at the Battle of the Giants pay-per-view on Oct. 19, the loser of the fight would be the best fight to make. It’s hard to deny the still undefeated, now 11-0 Colgan of a massive fight opportunity and either McKee and Hughes presents that opportunity. With champion Usman Nurmagomedov just defending his belt last week, it would make sense for the winner of Hughes/McKee to be next in line for a title fight, while the loser should line up against Colgan to see who could find themselves as the next title contender.