3 candidates to win Bellator's Light Heavyweight Grand Prix
Bellator is set to kick off its Light Heavyweight Grand Prix in April with four quarterfinal matchups, including a blockbuster bout between UFC veterans Anthony "Rumble" Johnson and Yoel Romero. (You can view the full bracket here.)
Below, we take a look at the three fighters who have the best chance of going all the way.
The safe pick: Vadim Nemkov
Nemkov enters as the reigning light heavyweight champion and is considered the favorite in the tournament. He finished Ryan Bader last year to capture the title and extend his Bellator record to 5-0. It was somewhat of a breakthrough performance for Nemkov and made fans start to think about where he stands among the world's best light heavyweights.
The 28-year-old is set to take on Phil Davis in the quarterfinals. He beat Davis via split decision in late 2018 and has only gotten better since. He'll also have youth on his side, as Davis is 36 years old. Nemkov could run into trouble in the semifinals against the winner of Johnson-Romero, but it ultimately won't be surprising to see him cruise through the bracket en route to the grand prix championship.
The dark-horse pick: Corey Anderson
Anderson never gets the love he deserves, but the reality is he's one of the best light heavyweights on the planet. He signed with Bellator in 2020 after a six-year stint in the UFC and dominated Melvin Manhoef in his debut. "Overtime" is 5-1 in his last six bouts, which includes a win over Glover Teixeira, who's ranked No. 1 in the UFC light heavyweight division. His only loss during that stretch came against current champion Jan Blachowicz.
Anderson is scheduled to face Bellator newcomer and relative unknown Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov in his quarterfinal matchup. That could be a tougher fight than it seems, but if he gets past Yagshimuradov, Anderson should have no problem beating the winner of Bader versus Lyoto Machida and making it to the final.
The wild-card pick: Anthony Johnson
Johnson, a two-time UFC light heavyweight title challenger, will step into the cage for the first time since 2017 for a highly anticipated quarterfinal against Romero.
It's tough to gauge how "Rumble" will look in his return. The 36-year-old is obviously no longer in his prime, but we can't assume he's completely washed up. The uncertainty surrounding Johnson is probably why he opened as the slight underdog to Romero, a former UFC middleweight contender who will also make his Bellator debut in this matchup.
Johnson was clearly the third-best light heavyweight in the world not too long ago. He was also considered the most devastating puncher in the sport before Francis Ngannou took that mantle. When someone brings that much power to the table, it's tough to count them out entirely. If Johnson performs well against Romero and appears to be even close to his former self, there's a legitimate chance he could go far in the tournament and maybe even win it all.