4 burning questions heading into Bellator Europe 5/Bellator 230

The Bellator cage stops off in Milan, Italy for the fifth of the organization’s six European Series events in 2019 as the Allianz Cloud gets set to stage a triple-card event, with the beautiful Italian city playing host to Bellator Europe 5, Bellator 230 and Bellator Kickboxing 12.

It promises to be a fights for Italian fans, and we’ve picked out four burning questions ahead of Saturday night’s event in Italy.

Will Yannick Bahati’s grappling snuff out Melvin Manhoef’s power?

Unless you’re incredibly new to the sport of MMA, there’s a fair chance you know what Melvin Manhoef brings to the table. Yannick Bahati’s family and friends certainly do, and Bahati (9-4 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) told MMA Junkie they were “petrified” for him heading into the Bellator Europe 5 main event.

But Bahati, whose early years growing up in the Congo forced him to experiences some horrific times, has no issue with the Dutch knockout artist’s heavy hands, and says he has the antidote.

Now living and training in Birmingham, England, Bahati heads into the contest with the belief that his own striking could cause Manhoef (31-14-1 MMA, 3-3 BMMA) some problems. But his true key to victory lies on the mat, where “The Black Mamba” should hold a significant grappling advantage.

Like any fighter who steps into the cage to face Manhoef, task number 1 is to ensure the 43-year-old doesn’t find a home for his sledgehammer punches. If Bahati can negotiate that aspect of the fight, the opportunity may be there to take “No Mercy” to the canvas and take over.

If he can, the former BAMMA and EFC middleweight champion will have a major scalp on his record as he looks to make a serious dent in the Bellator light heavyweight division.

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