PRIZE recruit Cris Cyborg is poised to make her promotional debut in the Bellator 238 main event this Sunday, gunning for Julia Budd‘s women’s featherweight crown. The title bout headlines a card littered with recognisable names, including former-UFC flyweight contender Sergio Pettis, prodigious talent Aaron Pico, and a featherweight grand prix bout between Darrion Caldwell and Adam Borics. We preview each main card fight, as well as some standouts on the prelims.

MAIN CARD:

W. FEATHERWEIGHT | Julia Budd [C] (13-2) vs. Cris Cyborg (21-2 [1])

Bellator newcomer Cris Cyborg will hope to claim a fourth promotional world title when she faces current featherweight Queen, Julia Budd. While much of the hype around the fight links to the former UFC, Invicta, and Strikeforce champion’s Bellator debut, Budd is outspoken in her discontent at being overlooked in this bout. Currently 13-2, Budd will make her fourth title defence against arguably her most decorated opponent since fighting under the Strikeforce banner in 2010/11. Both muay thai practitioners, neutrals will hope for a fierce stand-up fight between two women who hit hard, but the edge arguably lands with Cyborg given her wealth of experience at the top level and added grappling threat as a Brazilian jiu jitsu brown belt. Will it be a twelfth-consecutive win for Budd, or will her legendary Brazilian opponent take over atop the Bellator women’s game?

Prediction: Cyborg by T/KO

FEATHERWEIGHT | Darrion Caldwell (14-3) vs. Adam Borics (14-0)

Former Bellator bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell takes on undefeated Hungarian contender Adam Borics in a featherweight world grand prix quarter final match-up. A promotional veteran, the 32-year-old Caldwell overcame Henry Corrales via decision in their opening round bout, while Borics TKO’d his way to the next stage within two rounds. Borics is one of the more exciting prospects in world MMA, with just three of his career fights going to decision and a nice split of wins via T/KO and submission. The match-up looms as a dangerous one for Caldwell, who will lean on his experience and wrestling prowess to grind this one out, but it could prove a gatekeeper type of fight for Borics as he looks to further climb the Bellator ranks and go deeper in the tournament.

Prediction: Caldwell by decision

FEATHERWEIGHT | Henry Corrales (17-4) vs. Juan Archuleta (23-2)

Henry Corrales and Juan Archuleta spice up the main card in an explosive featherweight bout which should produce plenty of highlights. Corrales has settled in the promotion after going 0-3 in his first trio of fights, but had a five-fight win streak broken against Caldwell in 2019. Archuleta also suffered a loss on the Bellator 228 card, going down to Patricio Freire to snap his own 18-fight win streak. It looms as a chance for either fighter to prove their worth with the bout running alongside the current featherweight grand prix tournament, and should be another stand-up firefight.

Prediction: Archuleta by T/KO

BANTAMWEIGHT | Sergio Pettis (18-5) vs. Alfred Khashakyan (11-4)

Another promotional newcomer, Sergio Pettis makes his debut on the main card with “The Fearless” Alfred Khashakyan first on his agenda. Fight fans may remember Glendale Fighting Club prospect Khashakyan from his KO loss to Sean O’Malley in Dana White’s Contender Series, but he enters the Bellator cage fresh off a hat-trick of wins in 2019. Former UFC flyweight contender Pettis, the brother of Anthony needs no introduction, and will hope to assert himself immediately on his new roster after parting ways with the UFC despite winning in the last fight on his contract. With eight more fights despite being five year’s his opponent’s junior, Pettis should come in as a heavy favourite.

Prediction: Pettis by decision

WELTERWEIGHT | Raymond Daniels (1-1) vs. Jason King (9-5)

Bellator welterweight kickboxing champion Raymond Daniels will look to back up a highlight reel KO in his maiden Bellator MMA win when he does battle with “The Asian Persuasion” Jason King. Daniels’ famed 2019 victory came on the back of a couple of vicious spin moves, with his eye-catching stand-up skills sure to attract eyes before more seasoned mixed martial artists take to the cage. King, a worthy finisher on the feet himself, will hope to make a successful Bellator debut on the same card as his wife, Emilee King.

Prediction: Daniels by T/KO

W. STRAWWEIGHT | Ava Knight (1-0) vs. Emilee King (3-4)

Current WBC boxing champion Ava Knight makes her second MMA appearance when she faces promotional debutant, Emilee King in a bout set to open the main card. An impressive debut TKO win via body shots helped the “Lady of Boxing” gain respect in her new sport, and she should fancy herself to make more inroads against King. But King’s active streak over the past two years means she has the experience edge – in MMA at least – even if the bright lights do not faze Knight.

Prediction: Knight by T/KO

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PRELIMINARY CARD STANDOUTS:

FEATHERWEIGHT | Aaron Pico (4-3) vs. Daniel Carey (7-3)

Prodigious home-grown talent Aaron Pico makes his eighth walk to the Bellator cage, set to face Daniel Carey in the headline preliminary bout. “Scary” Carey is in the midst of his second promotional stint, going 3-1 in his last four fights. Pico, marked a generational talent since even before his professional debut, faces somewhat of a must-win situation after two fast KO losses to more experienced featherweight killers. In what should be a good test for the 23-year-old, he will again be favourite to return to the winners list in style.

Prediction: Pico by T/KO

CATCHWEIGHT (180lbs) | Curtis Millender (17-5) vs. Moses Murrietta (8-3)

Former UFC welterweight Curtis Millender makes his Bellator return against Moses Murrietta, looking to recapture the form which saw him embark on a nine-fight win streak before losing in his last two. He meets exciting knockout artist “Motown” Murrietta, who himself is coming off two-consecutive losses, but makes his Bellator debut nonetheless. The two meet in the middle in terms of weight having agreed to a 180lbs limit, but Millender comes in the vastly more experienced fighter, and will look to get his career back on track here.

Prediction: Millender by decision

FEATHERWEIGHT | AJ Agazarm (2-1) vs. Adel Altamimi (8-6)

Prolific grappler AJ Agazarm will look to advance his three-fight MMA career when he faces Adel Altamimi in a preliminary bout which should pique the interest of hardcore fans. The often outspoken and always controversial Agazarm has recovered well since a debut MMA loss, improving to 2-1 and looking to get meaner in the cage. Altamimi has one of the more interesting backstories in MMA, and should test have some answers for Agazarm on the mat, making for an intriguing match-up.

Prediction: Agazarm by submission

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Remaining fights:

FEATHERWEIGHT | Jay-Jay Wilson (4-0) vs. Mario Navarro (4-5)
WELTERWEIGHT | Miguel Jacob (3-0) vs. David Pacheco (1-0)
LIGHTWEIGHT | Anthony Taylor (5-5) vs. Chris Avila (6-8)
CATCHWEIGHT (160lbs) | Brandon Bender (12-1) vs. Joshua Jones (9-5)
LIGHTWEIGHT | Ricardo Seixas (8-2) vs. Dominic Clark (14-9)
FEATHERWEIGHT | Tony Bartovich (Pro Debut) vs. Jarrett Connor (Pro Debut)