The Viacom brand of MMA is back this Friday for Bellator 204, headlined with the promotion’s bantamweight king, Darrion Caldwell, stepping up to featherweight to take on the 12-3 Noad Lahat. Undefeated 8-0 prospect Logan Storley steps back in the cage in the co-main event to square off with the 9-7 seasoned veteran AJ Matthews. Also on the main card, we have another undefeated prospect putting his ‘0’ on the line when the 7-0 James Gallagher tangles with the 10-1 Bellator newcomer, Ricky Bandejas. Opening up the event, the 2-0 Ty-wan Claxton is scheduled to lock horns with the 4-1 Cris Lencioni.
**Bellator 204 can be seen on the Paramount Network at 9:00 P.M. ET with the prelims streaming online at 7:00 P.M .ET.
Main card:
Darrion Caldwell (11-1-1 MMA; 8-1-1 Bellator) vs. Noad Lahat (12-3 MMA; 3-1 MMA): Featherweight
Caldwell captured Bellator’s bantamweight belt with a unanimous decision victory over Eduardo Dantas back at Bellator 184, last October. Since then, the collegiate wrestling standout has successfully defended the strap, choking out Leandro Higo with a guillotine in the first round, earlier this year at Bellator 195. Now, Caldwell is returning to the featherweight division to give it a go. Caldwell’s first-three Bellator bouts took place at 145 pounds, going 2-0-1, so this isn’t exactly new territory for the champ, but it could mean a potential title run in a second division.
Since departing from his 2-2 run inside of the UFC, Lahat has found a home with Bellator MMA. Lahat choked out his first-two Bellator opponents with rear-naked chokes, and then ran into a little hiccup in the form of Henry Corrales at Bellator 182. Lahat responded to the loss with a unanimous decision win over Jeremiah Labiano to get himself back into the win column, and is now tasked with welcoming Bellator’s bantamweight champ back to the featherweight division. Being known for leaning on his Jiu-Jitsu skills, can Lahat pull off the upset and kick Caldwell back down to 135 pounds?
Logan Storley (8-0 MMA; 3-0 Bellator) vs. AJ Matthews (9-7 MMA; 5-5 Bellator): Welterweight
The undefeated 8-0 Storley came from the collegiate wrestling scene, sharing a University of Minnesota alma mater with former UFC heavyweight champ and professional wrestling super star Brock Lesnar. Storley was coached by Lesnar himself starting in high school, and is now making a name for himself on the Bellator big stage. Storley has already passed veteran tests like Matt Secor and Joaquin Buckley, but now is slated against possibly the most dangerous striker that he has had to face to date. Is Storley for real?
Do not let the 9-7 record of Matthews fool you. He will knock you out and put you on his highlight reel if given the chance. If you troll through his record, you’ll find some bodacious knockouts from top to bottom. On the flipside, you will also find quite a few losses. Matthews was stuck in a four-fight slump before picking up a split decision win over Kendall Grove to snap it, at Bellator 193 back in January of this year. Consistency has escaped Matthews in the past, but can the veteran put together a proper lesson plan to take the up and coming prospect to school?
James Gallagher (7-0 MMA; 4-0 Bellator) vs. Ricky Bandejas (10-1 MMA; Bellator debut): Featherweight
Gallagher has been perfect thus far in his 7-0 MMA career. The SBG Ireland product has shown he can stand up, he can grapple, and he can finish. Of those seven wins, Gallagher has finished six of them by submission. Of those six subs, five of them came by rear-naked choke, with the other being a guillotine. It’s safe to say that the dude loves to strangle fools. The sky really is the limit for the 21-year old Gallagher.
The 10-1 Bandejas is taking his first major step up into the bright lights this Friday as he is tasked with removing the ‘0’ from Gallagher’s record. Bandejas comes to us from the east coast MMA circuit called Cage Fury FC (CFFC), where each of his eleven professional bouts took place. Currently riding a five-fight wave of wins, can Bandejas burst into Bellator by taking the spot of an undefeated prospect?
Ty-wan Claxton (2-0 MMA/Bellator) vs. Cris Lencioni (4-1 MMA; 1-1 Bellator): Featherweight
Claxton is off to a great start in his young career, scoring back to back finishes in his first-two professional bouts. Let’s not forget that Claxton’s pro debut involved that sensational and explosive flying knee knockout that dusted his opponent in under 90 seconds. Looking to stand in his way will be the 4-1 Lencioni, who sports a 1-1 record under the Bellator banner. Lencioni won his first Bellator fight by submission at Bellator 189, and then dropped a unanimous decision to Daniel Carey at Bellator 195. With such young records, be prepared for anything.
Notable prelims:
- David Michaud vs. Corey Davis: Welterweight
- Romero Cotton vs. Willie Whitehead: Middleweight (Note: Whitehead missed weight by 15 lbs)