Bellator 193 is just around the corner and in few hours MMA fighters will step into the octagon in Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California. Many articles wrote about all of the fights that are set up for this Bellator 193, and it is time to look ahead and talk about Bellator 194 that will take place in 16th February 2018, at Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, Connecticut, United States. The main event in Bellator 194 will be fight between two heavyweights: Roy “BIG COUNTRY“ Nelson and Matt “MEATHEAD“ Mitrione.

Roy “BIG COUNTRY“ Nelson

This 41-year-old fighter, born in Las Vegas, Nevada is a well known fighter in the mixed martial arts world. He is a professional competitor since 2004, he formerly competed for the UFC, EliteXC, the IFL, BodogFIGHT, and was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights competition.

With height 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) and 119 kg (262.4 lb) at the first glance he looks a bit chubby, but don’t get fooled by his looks. He is a heavy hitter and he is widely regarded as possessing one of the greatest chins of all time. On the top of that, he is one of the quirkiest characters in fight sports. His comments about letting Conor McGregor grow a beard or that fighters who don’t look like bodybuilders wouldn’t be in the UFC if it wasn’t for him are legendary. Nelson fought for years in UFC (2010-2017) and in May 2017 he was announced that he had a signed multi-fight contract with Bellator MMA. In his first fight, Nelson faced Javy Ayala at Bellator 183 on September 23, 2017. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

In his fighting career, Nelson had 37 fights with 23 wins and 14 losses. He has established himself as a heavyweight to watch in a division of giants. In the past, he was criticized for his big belly and training habits, but Roy Nelson is one of the most popular and respected mixed martial artists in the world today.

Matt “MEATHEAD“ Mitrione

Matt is 39 years old, former American football player who is a well known fighter in the world of mixed martial arts for years now. He made his pro debut in UFC back in 2010 and he fought under the UFC till 2016, when he announced that he had signed with Bellator MMA.

This former NFL defensive tackle weights 139 kg (300 lb) and has a slight advantage in height over Nelson with 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in). His professional record stands at 12 wins and 5 losses and it is obvious that he lacks experience when we compare him with Nelson.

Looking at these two fighters and comparing them few things are clear. Matt Mitrione will no doubt be in much better physical shape than Roy Nelson. There is no doubt Nelson will show his big fat belly, big “Santa“ beard and „business up front, party in the back“ haircut, looking nothing like professional athlete, and Matt will show up in top form with great motivation to win against one of the most prolific fighters in the past decade.

And there lies a perfect opportunity for those who prefer to make some wagers on this event. Sports betting on MMA events is really interesting and can be very profitable if you know where to find value and how to exploit it. There are several reputable sources where you can find nice information and suggestions what waggers to take, and for example, Casino Guru advisors on MMA betting made some really nice predictions in the past.

Prediction

I have no doubt this will be one very interesting fight that will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut. Interesting to watch and interesting to put some wagers on it. My money will go on Roy Nelson for sure as I feel he has more experience and more quality than Matt Mitrione.

Bookies set Mitrione as a favorite for this event. Interesting, because these two fought once already in the UFC back in 2012, and Nelson (23-14 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) handed Mitrione (12-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) the first knockout loss of his career.

Sure Nelson doesn’t look like a professional athlete at all, but he has skills, he has devastating right hook and steel chin. I expect him to dominate Mitrione and to win this fight with K.O.

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