Two top-tier fight cards are in store this weekend for our MMASucka staff picks.
Bellator 281, also titled as Bellator London, will take place in just a few hours this evening, May 13 from the SSE Arena in London, England. This is the promotion’s second-straight fight card in Europe following last weekend’s heavyweight championship in Paris between champion Ryan Bader and Cheick Kongo. The main card will kick off at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT) live on Showtime.
Results from the entire Bellator 281: MVP vs. Storley fight card are available here at MMASucka.
Also, stay tuned to MMASucka tomorrow afternoon for our UFC Vegas 54: Blachowicz vs. Rakic event from Las Vegas.
The Fights
In the featured main event, Michael Page and Logan Storley will square off for a potential 25 minutes as both men target Bellator’s welterweight championship.
Former NCAA Division I wrestler Storley has won all but one of his professional fights; the defeat against current divisional king Yaroslav Amosov in November of 2020. The 29-year-old looks for his third straight win and his second of 2022 following a February decision over former title challenger Neiman Gracie. Storley’s opponent, Page, looks for his seventh promotional win since 2019 after his one professional loss in 21 total fights for the title against former champion Douglas Lima. The flashy talent looks to secure another impressive win in hopes for a future title shot against the aforementioned Amosov.
Middleweight legend Lyoto Machida will take on England’s Fabian Edwards in the co-main event. Machida aims to snap a three-fight decision skid in search of his first win since knocking out Chael Sonnen in June of 2019. Edwards also needs a return to the win column following a 2020 decision loss to Costello van Steenis and a 2021 decision loss to Austin Vanderford.
Who are the MMASucka staff picking to win on the main card of Bellator London? Find out further below.
Staff Picks
Staff picks in 2022 will follow the same set of rules from the 2021 season. Throughout the calendar year, staff picks will be composed of main card fights from both UFC and Bellator events. Main card fights and selected preliminary fights will be included for PFL MMA. Dana White’s Contender Series will be composed of the entire fight card; dates for this promotion’s return are soon-to-be announced.
The WINNER of staff picks in 2022 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a chain from Championship Chains. A winner is determined simply by the individual correctly picking the most victorious fighters at the year’s end. Nate Freeman secured his first victory with MMASucka in 2021 with a compiled record 243-136.
Find our staff picks for Bellator London below.
Staff Records after UFC 274:
1T. Michael DeSantis: 87-41
1T. Nate Freeman: 87-41
3. Wesley Riddle: 86-42
4. Jeremy Brand: 85-43
5T. Frazer Krohn: 81-47
5T. William Dong: 81-47
5T. Julio Monteros Jr.: 81-41
8T. Mike Lynch: 80-48
8T. Tim Wheaton: 80-43
10. Ash Camyab: 79-45
11T. Andrew Benjamin: 77-51
11T. Chris Presnell: 77-51
11T. Brandon Joint: 77-45
11T. Coby Weinsier: 77-41
15. Jacek Okninski: 69-54
16. Chinyere Okafor: 54-24
17. Brian Knight: 46-25
18. Jack Goodwillie: 37-17
19. Matt Bricker: 24-22
20. Brian Knight: 8-4
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Luke Trainer (5-0), -365
vs.
Simon Biyong (7-2), +280
Light Heavyweight Division, 205 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Trainer via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Trainer via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Trainer via Round 1 TKO
Coby Weinsier: Trainer via Round 2 SUB
Brandon Joint: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Trainer via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Trainer: 14
Staff picking Biyong: 0
Paul Daley (43-18-2), -350
vs.
Wendell Giacomo (9-2), +270
Catchweight of 175 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Daley via Round 1 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Daley via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Daley via Round 1 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Daley via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Daley via Round 2 TKO
Mike Lynch: Daley via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Daley via Round 2 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Daley via Round 3 TKO
Chris Presnell: Daley via Unanimous Decision
Coby Weinsier: Daley via Round 1 TKO
Brandon Joint: Daley via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Daley via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Daley via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Daley via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Daley: 14
Staff picking Giacomo: 0
Denise Kielholtz (6-3), -305
vs.
Kana Watanabe (10-1-1), +240
Flyweight Division, 125 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Watanabe via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Kielholtz via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Kielholtz via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Watanabe via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Watanabe via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Kielholtz via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Kielholtz via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Kielholtz via Unanimous Decision
Chris Presnell: Watanabe via Split Decision
Coby Weinsier: Watanabe via Split Decision
Brandon Joint: Watanabe via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Kielholtz via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Kielholtz via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Kielholtz via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Kielholtz: 8
Staff picking Watanabe: 6
Lyoto Machida (26-11), +120
vs.
Fabian Edwards (9-2), -140
Middleweight Co-Main Event, 185 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Machida via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Machida via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Machida via Split Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Machida via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Machida via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Machida via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Machida via Round 1 TKO
Chris Presnell: Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Coby Weinsier: Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Brandon Joint: Edwards via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Edwards via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Edwards via Round 2 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Machida via Split Decision
Staff picking Machida: 8
Staff picking Edwards: 6
Michael Page (20-1), +210
vs.
Logan Storley (13-1), -260
Welterweight Main Event, 170 lbs.
Jeremy Brand: Page via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Storley via Round 4 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Storley via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Page via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Page via Unanimous Decision
Mike Lynch: Page via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Storley via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Page via Round 3 TKO
Chris Presnell: Storley via Unanimous Decision
Coby Weinsier: Storley via Unanimous Decision
Brandon Joint: Storley via Unanimous Decision
William Dong: Storley via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Page via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Storley via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Page: 6
Staff picking Storley: 8
*Fight odds from DraftKings*
BELLATOR LONDON FEATURED IMAGE:
Lyoto Machida (left) and Fabian Edwards (right) ahead of their Bellator 281 co-main event taking place Friday, May 13th from the SSE Arena in London, England (photo credits to Bellator MMA).