It’s not uncommon for Bellator and the UFC to have shows on the same days, but with the debut of Cris “Cyborg” Justino, now is the time to compare the cards.
Bellator and UFC compete for MMA fans every day. This conflict between competing companies and professional ethics will collide again on January 25, 2020 as the two companies hold shows against each other. For the UFC, it’s UFC Lansing. For Bellator, it’s Bellator 238 with former UFC featherweight champion, Cris “Cyborg” Justino.
Here we compare the two cards.
UFC Lansing
At the UFC Raliegh event, Curtis Blaydes and Junior dos Santos compete against each other in the main event. Blaydes is 6-1 in his last seven and only loses to the grazing Francis Ngannou. Dos Santos, on the other hand, is 3-1 in his last four games, also against Ngannou. Neither man is that far from the heavyweight cover picture, and the winner could battle for a title shot or the title with Ngannou, depending on who wins the match between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier. A fight that many would expect to be Cormier’s last.
Also on the map is Cory Sandhagen (12-1) against Frankie Edgar. Edgar is 3-3 in his last six and has lost to Jose Aldo, Brian Ortega and Max Holloway. Not the weakest competition, but a clear sign that Edgar may have more weaknesses in his game than most people think. The rising prospect in Sandpits could bring in a big win and an upgrade to that ranking.
In the last big fight, Rafael dos Anjos faces Michael Chiesa. Dos Anjos is 1-3 in his last four and Chiesa is 2-2 over the same distance. Both hope to correct their path and return to their winners.
Bellator 238
The main event is where the bread is buttered. Justino meets one of the three best fighters in the world and the best who is not in the UFC, Julia Budd. The two women clash for the featherweight championship in the largest women’s MMA fight in Bellator history. Budd’s only losses went to Ronda Rousey and Amanda Nunes early in their Strikeforce careers, but since then she has had eleven fights, eight years without loss. Justino, on the other hand, has won world titles at Strikeforce, Invicta FC and the UFC and is hoping to finish fourth by dethroning Budd – the first female featherweight champion.
We also see Aaron Pico’s return. Pico was someone who came in with the whole world and made his Madison Square Garden debut against an unnamed jobber. He was suffocated in 24 seconds. He then won four fights and finished all with KO / TKO. Then he lost two tackles by KO / TKO. So life is. Ironically, he helped spark interest in the men who hit him, Henry Corrales and Adam Borics. Both got slots in the Featherweight Grand Prix through Pico. He came in as a wrestling prodigy, but now he’s found real power in his fists. He has to find a way to level her against Daniel Carey or he could soon be banned from promotion.
We also have the aforementioned Borics competing against Darrion Caldwell in the aforementioned Grand Prix tournament. Caldwell is the former Bellator bantamweight champion and besides two losses to the best bantamweight fighter in the world, Kyoji Horiguchi was an unbeatable beast in weight. Now at featherweight he wants to continue his championship by beating Borics, who has become a top prospect for Bellator, who is undefeated and defeating Josenaldo Silva, Pico and Bellator icon Pat Curran.
Also announced for the card is the Brazilian jiu-jitsu villain, AJ Agazarm versus Adel Altamimi and Dillon Danis is also in the works.
decision
If you can’t decide who to watch, choose Bellators 238 at DAZN. Bellator 238 has the better main event and more fun undercard fights to look forward to.
But who says you can’t see both?
Bellator 238 and UFC Lansing will both take place on January 25, 2020, with Bellator 238 taking place at the Forum in Inglewood, CA and UFC Lansing at the PNC Arena in Lansing, NC. Follow FanSided MMA for all of your live scores and highlights.
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