Two PFL vs. Bellator Dream Fights That Must Be Made

Now that Bellator MMA and Professional Fighters League (PFL) have joined forces in a monumental deal that shook up the mixed martial arts (MMA) landscape, the future looks bright for all parties involved.

And that especially goes for the fighters. As PFL head honcho recently revealed, both organizations will still be operating as a separate entities, but vowed that a “Champions vs. Champions” mega-card would take place sometime in 2024.

PFL will have its “2023 World Championships” event this Friday night (full details here), which will give us a clear picture as to who will lead the divisions in 2024. As for Bellator MMA, the champions are already solidified, though the Lightweight Grand Prix has yet to be completed. All of that said, by the time the “Champions vs. Champions” event comes around the landscape will likely be different.

Titles aside, there are two fights that absolutely have to go down regardless of championship status: Ryan Bader vs. Francis Ngannou and Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison.

Ryan Bader vs. Francis Ngannou

Dave Mandel-USA TODAY Sports

Bader is the current Heavyweight champion under the Bellator MMA brand, while Denis Goltsov will battle Renan Ferreira this Friday to see who will become this season’s 265-pound champion. And while one of those two will likely face “Darth” at the champion vs. champion event, the intrigue doesn’t come close to matching that of Bader facing “The Predator.”

When Ngannou was a free agent in early 2022, Bader was broached about the possibility of facing the former Heavyweight champion inside the Bellator cage. Naturally, “Darth” welcomed the matchup against the “scary” knockout artist, but wasn’t a big fan of “what if” scenarios. But, now that both men are under the same ownership, the fight is very much a possibility.

Bader has been the Bellator Heavyweight champion since 2019, knocking out Fedor Emelianenko at Bellator 214 in just 35 seconds to win the vacant strap, as well as the Grand Prix. He has since defended his belt three times, defeating Valentin Moldavsky, Cheick Kongo and Emelianenko a second time. As a 265-pound fighter, Bader hasn’t tasted defeat, but he has lost twice as a Light Heavyweight under the Bellator banner, which tells us that fighting with the big boys is just better for him.

Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images

As for Ngannou, he has yet to make his PFL debut after inking a lucrative contract earlier this year. He went on to box Tyson Fury and nearly turned the boxing word on its head, though he eventually came up short on the judges scorecards (see them here). But, the fact that he gave Fury all he could handle opened up the possibility of a rematch, which could potentially delay “The Predator’s” debut with the promotion. There are those who feel that Ngannou will trade in his smaller gloves for good to make boxing his full-time gig moving forward.

But, if the powers that be at PFL can convince him to take a fight inside the cage in 2024, it has to be against Bader. Ngannou is currently on a six-fight win streak as a MMA fighter, ending his UFC run as the champion and big wins over Curtis Blaydes, Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Stipe Miocic and Ciryl Gane.

Of those wins, five of them ended by devastating knockout, and Bader’s two defeats at 205 pounds ended via (technical) knockout at the hands of Corey Anderson and Vadim Nemkov. And it’s safe to say Ngannou has more power than both of those men, which means Bader would have to keep his head on a swivel and go to his wrestling as early as possible to prevent getting put to bed early. On the flip side, while Ngannou did show improved grappling in his title fight against Gane, he will have to work overtime on that aspect of his arsenal because Bader’s wrestling is on another level.

As talented as Bader is as a wrestler — and he is no slouch on the feet — Ngannou is simply too powerful when the fight turns into a striking war. On the ground, Bader will be giving up some weight to “The Predator,” so keeping him there if and when he takes him down will not be an easy task. Bader has shown to be susceptible to getting taken out via strikes, and those two losses came against 205 pounders. Ngannou is an entirely different beast altogether and once he lays paws on you, there is a good chance that the fight will start going downhill for the opposition in a hurry.

Prediction: Ngannou via second round knockout

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Cris Cyborg vs. Kayla Harrison

A fight between Cyborg and Harrison has been discussed for some time now, with both Scott Coker and Donn Davis saying they’d be open to making a cross-promotion fight. It never came to be, but thanks to PFL’s acquisition, now is the time to strike.

Cyborg inked a new deal with Bellator prior to her title fight against Cat Zingano, whom she defeated at Bellator 300 via first round destruction (see it again here). The win was the fearsome striker’s seventh straight win (six in Bellator, one in UFC) with five of them coming by way of stoppage, including four knockouts and one submission.

Other than her loss to Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 five years ago, Cyborg has been the unstoppable force that has made her the biggest star in women’s mixed martial arts (MMA). Her still strikes fear in the opposition, and it is realized once thy get locked in the cage with her, but Harrison doesn’t scare easy.

Harrison suffered the first loss of her professional MMA career at the hands of Larissa Pacheco in the 2022 Lightweight finals … and she hasn’t competed since. One year removed from that devastating loss, she will return to action in a 150-pound showcase fight against former UFC contender, Aspen Ladd, this Friday night. While she isn’t a champion going into 2024, a fight between her and Cyborg is still at the top of the “dream fight” list, though Pacheco/Mokhnatkina versus Cyborg in 2024 will still likely happen.

Harrison possesses a well-rounded attack, winning six fights by way of (technical) knockout, six by submission and three via decision. She is a better grappler than Cyborg thanks to her Olympic medal-winning Judo. And while Cyborg is a physical freak of nature, Harrison is as strong as they come once she grabs a hold of you.

Of course, the Bellator Featherweight champion has the distinct advantage on the feet, where she will try to keep the fight as long as possible. Harrison will have to eat a few strikes if she wants to get in close enough to grab a hold of the Brazilian bomber, which could open her up for a quick finish.

But, I don’t foresee that happening. We can expect a feeling out process if and when this fight gets made, and if Harrison can weather Cyborg’s early blitz, we could be in for a lengthy five-round fight, where the judoka’s chances of getting the win increase tenfold.

Prediction: Cyborg via third round technical knockout

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