It's almost undeniable now that Bellator MMA is the main competition to the dominant force that is the UFC. This has become even more obvious with the recent series of high profile free agents, including the likes of Ryan Bader, Phil Davis and Lorenz Larkin, all of whom are experienced at the very highest level.
With this, and my impending trip to London to watch Bellator 179 in mind, I thought I'd lay out my top 10 favourite fighters currently under the employ of the promotion:
10. Benson Henderson - Lightweight/Welterweight (24-7)
Perhaps wrongly, I've always seen Benson Henderson as Mr Reliable, but never Mr Exciting. Without doubt one of the most decorated members of the current Bellator roster, and one of only two to ever hold UFC gold, Smooth has shown himself to be one of the greatest lightweights of all time. However, thanks to his calm demeanour and ability to sneak under the radar, it is unlikely that he will ever get the recognition he deserves.
Nevertheless, he has been in some wars, including one of my favourite fights of all time against Anthony Pettis in WEC, ending in the now immortalised 'Showtime kick'. While his initial Bellator entrance has been underwhelming, I have no doubt that he will continue to challenge Michael Chandler at the top of the lightweight card.
9. Paul Daley - Welterweight (39-14)
A true one punch knockout artist, Paul 'Semtex' Daley has been at the pinnacle of Bellator since arriving at the promotion in 2012, and has fought against some of the biggest names in the sport, including Nick Diaz, Tyron Woodley and Jorge Masvidal. His ferocious right hand has sent many to the canvas and guarantees an exciting night, but he has also shown he is not averse to the spectacular, with his recent KO victory over Brennan Ward coming by a remarkable flying knee.
While it could be levied against him that he has never really managed to break into the elite of the UFC, his upcoming bout against Rory Macdonald at Bellator 179 could change all that, putting him really in contention for Andrei Koreshkov's title.
8. Michael Page - Welterweight (12-0)
This is an odd one for me, as his flashy style and entertainment value should rank Michael 'Venom' Page higher on my list, as his fight was certainly one of the main reasons I was excited for my first Bellator live event. While this sadly hasn't come to pass on this occasion, some of his highlights are outrageous. His tornado kick knockout of Ben Dishman at UCMMA 26 is quite frankly one of the most astonishing I have ever seen, while his flying knee KO of Cyborg Santos deservedly earned the 'Knockout of the Year' honours at the MMA Awards.
However, what the Brit gains in cage presence, he loses in personality. I'm accustomed to confidence and cockiness in MMA interviews, but there is something about MVP's character that doesn't sit right with me. In particular, his reaction to Ronda Rousey's 47-second comeback defeat to Amanda Nunes last December, which was to release a dance video mocking the former champion's stumbling around the Octagon as she tried to survive - you stay classy MVP!
7. Patricio Freire - Lightweight/Featherweight (25-4)
Synonymous with the Bellator promotion, the Pitbull brothers have seen it all under the Scott Coker umbrella. While Patricky is just as entertaining as his younger brother, he's never quite hit the heights of Patricio, Bellator's current Featherweight champion.
Patricio has enjoyed some memorable wars in the Bellator cage, and his hands are as heavy as anyone in the world, with his most memorable knockout over Daniel Weichel. His backwards and forwards against Daniel Straus has been legendary, with four bouts to date, and I don't doubt there will be a few more before the pair hang up their gloves.
6. Chael Sonnen - Middleweight/Light-Heavyweight (29-15)
Another brash, mouthy guy, but this guy's the OG. Famed for talking his way into title fights he had no right to be in, Sonnen came within a whisker of defeating the greatest fighter of all time, before being caught in a triangle choke with moments to go.
While his trash-talking may have diminished slightly over the years, with some of his jibes directed at Tito Ortiz more like something you'd hear on a school playground than in the cage, he certainly made it popular as an art, enabling the likes of Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping to take the psychological warfare of MMA to another level.
5. Liam McGeary - Light-Heavyweight (12-1)
I've tried, where possible, to favour the 'Bellator' originals in this list, recognising those fighters that have come through the ranks in the secondary promotion, rather than simply jumping ship from the UFC. For a couple of years, Britain's McGeary was exactly that, becoming the Bellator light-heavyweight champion in February 2015. His active guard saw him claim a series of a high profile submissions, most impressively against MMA legend Tito Ortiz, though he became a notable loser from the free agency trend, with Phil Davis taking his belt in a dominant performance.
He appears to be on the comeback trail, and a win over Linton Vassell at Bellator 169 in London could see him close in on a rematch with the American wrestler.
4. AJ McKee - Featherweight (8-0)
Arguably the brightest young prospect in Bellator, though with the likes of MVP and Chidi Njokuani in the talent-rich 170 lbs weight class, it's hard to properly compare. Nevertheless, this featherweight continues to impress, with his most recent fight a highlight reel head kick KO of Dominic Mazzotta, and it seems inevitable that McKee will get a bigger name later this year.
Most impressively, the youngster has not let the hype go to his head, and remains focused but ambitious, talking about the potential of beating Jon Jones record and claim a belt before his next birthday. How likely that is remains to be seen, but if he continues his meteoric rise, it seems inevitable that he will be a world champion at some point.
3. Bobby Lashley - Heavyweight (15-2)
Much like Brock Lesnar, Bobby Lashley burst onto the MMA scene following a semi-successful career in the WWE. However, while his record is undoubtedly impressive, he has yet to hit the pinnacle of the sport, though he remains a juggernaut in the Bellator heavyweight division, with many believing he deserves a shot at the currently vacant title.
Perhaps most impressively, Lashley continues to perform duties both in the cage and the ring, now performing for Impact Wrestling. While this may go some way to explaining his lack of a title shot as yet, there is no denying his talent, and I'd certainly expect to see him up there in the next 12 months.
2. Quinton Jackson - Light-Heavyweight/Heavyweight (37-12)
The answer for why I like Rampage is simple: he's honest. As a fighter, he recognises that he doesn't have the same background in wrestling or Brazilian jiu-jitsu as many of his competition, but he simply doesn't care. He has taught himself what he needs to know, enabling him to walk his opponents onto the nuclear bombs he has in his gloves. As he showed time and time again in the UFC, with his vicious KO of Wanderlei Silva instantly sprinting to mind, his punching power is fearsome, and he has the capability to end anyone's evening early.
As a personality, there is no-one like him. As his time as coach on The Ultimate Fighter showed, he's got more than a little of a prankster in him, and some of his interviews are legendary. Quite simply, there's not many as entertaining on the microphone as Rampage, but unlike the likes of Conor, where he creates an arrogant and brash character, Jackson is simply being himself - confident, but jovial.
1. Rory Macdonald - Welterweight (18-4)
The main reason I bought a ticket for Bellator 179 in London was because of Rory Macdonald. While his personality is nowhere near as entertaining as the likes of Jackson, he more than makes up for it in his fights! In my opinion, Macdonald has been involved in the greatest mixed martial arts fight of all time - his near five round war with Robbie Lawler at UFC 189. It demonstrated the heart of the Canadian and the depths he would go to to secure the title.
Though he was unsuccessful on that occasion, he will find his route to the Bellator title no easier in the now talent-rich welterweight division. Nevertheless, his fight with Paul Daley has the potential for fireworks, and I can't wait to see it!
Who are your favourite Bellator fighters? Let me know either in the comments section below, or on Twitter @TheWeighInMMA.
