Jason Jackson will get his first-ever Bellator main event appearance on Friday night, facing former champion Douglas Lima in a five-round welterweight bout.
The fight, which is headlining Bellator 283 from the Emerald Queen Casino and Hotel in Tacoma, Washington, USA, gives Jackson a chance to potentially secure a title fight at a later date. On the other side of things, Lima will be fighting to break a recent skid in the Bellator cage.
That bout headlines a 12-fight card in total. Here’s a full preview of the show.
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Preliminary Card (7:00PM EDT / 4:00PM PDT) (Youtube)
Bout 1: Archie Colgan (4-0) vs. Bryan Nuro (8-4) (Catchweight 160 lbs)
Archie Colgan will return to Bellator on Friday night, facing Bryan Nuro in the opening bout.
Colgan debuted last year as a pro in LFA. He quickly attained three wins in the year, all of which came via finish. He won his Bellator debut in August 2021, stopping Ben Simons with strikes.
Colgan is returning to Bellator after recently defeating Dylan Mantello on an Eagle FC card.
Nuro will be making his Bellator debut on the card. He has gone winless since 2018, losing two consecutive bouts in that time.
Bout 2: Jaylon Bates (5-0) vs. Mark Coates (10-7) (Bantamweight)
Undefeated Jaylon Bates will meet Mark Coates on Friday night.
Bates has won all five of his pro bouts in the Bellator cage since debuting in late 2020. He earned his fourth consecutive submission win in February, catching Chris Disonell late with a rear naked choke.
Coates is the most experienced name that Bates has faced yet, although he is not an incredibly successful fighter. He snapped a three-fight skid in May, submitting Raphael Montini on an RUF card.
Bout 3: Roman Faraldo (7-0) vs. Luis Iniguez (5-1) (Welterweight)
Flashy fighter Roman Faraldo will return on Friday night to face Luis Iniguez.
Faraldo has gained a reputation as a finisher, ending many fights in an explosive fashion. Most notably, he has won two separate bouts via flying knee. His last victory was a fast win, stopping Kelvin Rayford in just 44 seconds.
Iniguez has a decent record of five wins and one loss. His sole defeat came in LFA last year, losing to Haris Talundzic.
Bout 4: Gadzhi Rabadanov (17-4-2) vs. Bobby King (12-4) (Lightweight)
Lightweight winning streaks will collide on Friday night when Gadzhi Rabadanov and Bobby King meet.
Rabadanov has scored two victories since joining Bellator last year. He handed Jay Jay Wilson his first pro loss in March, defeating him via unanimous decision.
King, a four-fight Bellator veteran, has already scored two wins this year. In the first appearance, he snapped the undefeated record of grappler Aviv Gozali with a stoppage win. He returned just two months later, defeating Keoni Diggs via decision.
Bout 5: Akhmed Magomedov (8-0) vs. Kevin Boehm (9-4) (Featherweight)
Undefeated Akhmed Magomedov will make his pro debut on Friday’s prelims, facing Kevin Boehm at featherweight.
Magomedov has a flawless pro record of eight wins. He is making the move over to Bellator after competing in Brave CF numerous times.
Magomedov was originally scheduled to face UFC alum Kai Kamaka III on Friday night.
Boehm has strictly competed on the regional scene. He has been on a run recently, scoring three straight victories since December 2021.
Bout 6: Veta Arteaga (6-4) vs. Vanessa Porto (23-9) (Flyweight)
Veta Arteaga and experienced flyweight Vanessa Porto will meet as part of Friday’s undercard.
Arteaga will be making her milestone 10th Bellator appearance this weekend. She is coming back after a year outside of the cage. She snapped a two-fight skid in her last appearance, defeating Desiree Yanez via majority decision.
Porto earned her first Bellator win last year, defeating Ilara Joanne on scorecards. Her previous fight was a loss to now-champion Liz Carmouche.
Bout 7: Romero Cotton (6-0) vs. Dalton Rosta (6-0) (Middleweight)
A matchup between two strong Bellator middleweight prospects will wrap up the prelims. In the final bout before the main card, Romero Cotton and Dalton Rosta will meet.
Both fighters enter this weekend with a perfect record of six wins.
Cotton has been developing his talent in Bellator since 2017, with five of his appearances ending via finish. He has been clearly built up by the promotion during this time, and his upcoming appearance is the first time that he has received an opponent that looks on paper to be up to his skill level.
Rosta has attained his pro wins since 2019, with all of the victories also being in the Bellator cage. His last two wins saw him prevail over experienced names, going the distance against Tony Johnson and Duane Johnson.
Main Card (10:00PM EDT / 7:00PM PDT) (Showtime)
Bout 8: Davion Franklin (5-0) vs. Marcelo Golm (9-3) (Heavyweight)
Davion Franklin will look to remain undefeated on Friday night, facing UFC alum Marcelo Golm in a heavyweight bout.
Franklin joined the Bellator roster in early 2020 and has earned five wins since then. He beat former Titan FC Heavyweight Champion Said Sowma earlier this year, going the distance and prevailing in a split decision victory.
Golm has yet to lose since departing the UFC roster in 2019. He scored a quick win in his Bellator debut last year, stopping Billy Swanson within a round with strikes.
Bout 9: Lorenz Larkin (24-7) vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov (15-1) (Welterweight)
Winning streaks at welterweight will collide on Friday’s main card when veteran Lorenz Larkin faces Mukhamed Berkhamov.
Larkin, an MMA vet of more than a decade, has quietly attained a long string of wins since 2018. He picked up his sixth straight Bellator win in May, stopping UFC alum Kyle Stewart in the first round with strikes.
Berkhamov won his Bellator debut last year, submitting Jaleel Willis early with a guillotine choke. That victory moved his winning streak to 12 straight wins.
Bout 10: Usman Nurmagomedov (14-0) vs. Chris Gonzalez (7-1) (Lightweight)
Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov will return this weekend against Chris Gonzalez.
Nurmagomedov has yet to lose through 14 fights. He had an active rookie year in Bellator, scoring three wins in 2021, with two of the victories coming via first-round finish.
Gonzalez suffered his first pro loss last year, getting stopped early by the experienced name Goiti Yamauchi. He bounced back from that defeat early this year, putting away Saad Awad in just 36 seconds with strikes.
Bout 11: Sidney Outlaw (16-4) vs. Tofiq Musayev (19-4) (Lightweight)
A potential title eliminator bout will take place when Sidney Outlaw faces Tofiq Musayev in the co-main event.
Outlaw was originally scheduled to headline this card against Bellator Lightweight Champion Patricky Pitbull. However, after an injury forced Pitbull off the card, plans changed for Outlaw.
Instead of possibly becoming champion this weekend, Outlaw is now fighting to defend his position as the top contender for the lightweight belt.
Outlaw is one of Bellator’s best lightweights currently due to a successful few years. He first joined the promotion in 2019 and has earned three wins through four appearances since then.
On the other side of the coin is a big opportunity for Musayev. In his promotional debut, he has the chance to possibly shoot up to a title fight.
Musayev is coming over to Bellator after a run in Japanese promotion RIZIN. His best part of the campaign was his successful grand prix tournament participation in 2019, defeating Johnny Case and Pitbull on the same night.
Musayev’s Bellator debut has been long awaited. He was first scheduled to debut in April, although he is now appearing this weekend.
Bout 12: Douglas Lima (32-10) vs. Jason Jackson (15-4) (Welterweight)
Jason Jackson will get his first Bellator main event on Friday night when he faces Douglas Lima.
Jackson has been one of Bellator’s fastest-rising names in recent years. He has strung together five wins since 2019, with many of them coming against big names in the promotion. To name a few, he beat Paul Daley and Neiman Gracie last year. Before then, he scored a decision nod against Benson Henderson.
Jackson has yet to compete in a five-round fight for Bellator. He has the chance to get that experience in when he faces a tough name in Lima this Friday.
This weekend’s fight is a big one for Lima. He is currently on a three-fight losing streak, which is the longest skid of his entire career. He has gone from being a champion to someone who has been winless since 2019. His last defeat came against rival Michael Page, who beat him via split decision in October 2021.
A victory this weekend for Lima would show some life from him, proving that he is still one of the top names a welterweight. But it won’t be an easy thing to do, as Jackson is a name that few have been able to defeat.
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