Bellator MMA returns to Sioux Falls, South Dakota this Friday with a Welterweight Main Event on Showtime. Top Ten ranked Welterweight contenders collide this weekend when talented wrestler Logan Storley faces the all-action “Irish” Brennan Ward. After five years away from the sport Ward returned in 2022 and has rattled off three straight knockout victories. Storley recently lost to current Champion Yaroslav Amosov in February and looks to bounce back with a win this weekend. In the Co-Main event of Bellator 298 former Interim Heavyweight Champion Valentine Moldavsky takes on the undefeated Steve Mowry. Also, ranked Middleweight contenders Dalton Rosta and Aaron Jeffery battle on the main card and credentialed wrestler Jordan Oliver makes his professional debut.
#1 Logan Storley (14-2) vs #7 Brennan Ward (17-6)
Bellator 298’s Main Event features two world-class talents at 170-pounds. Since joining Bellator in 2017 Former Division One All-American wrestler Logan Storley has gone (9-2) inside the promotion with his only losses coming to current champion Yaroslav Amosov. Storley is a dominant grappler who looks to take the fight to the ground where he can implement his smothering top control.
Former Middleweight title challenger Brennan Ward has looked phenomenal since his return to the sport, this time making a run in the Welterweight division. In his last fight, Ward was involved in a memorable battle with Sabah Homasi which over one million people saw on CBS. Ward outlasted Homasi and landed a vicious head kick in round two that ended the fight. With top contender Michael “Venom” Page recently becoming a free agent the winner of this contest could be next in line for a title shot.
Storley enters this contest as a betting favorite (-300) at online sportsbooks and will need to take this fight to the ground. Ward wrestled in college at Johnson and Wales University and may be able to stop the takedown attempts of Storley. Ward is a powerful and coordinated athlete who looks to stand and trade. Storley is a native of Roslyn, South Dakota, and will have hometown support behind him on fight night.
The Bellator 298 Main Event will begin around 10 p.m. CST live on Showtime.
#2 Valentine Moldavsky (11-3) vs #3 Steve Mowry (10-0-1)
In the Co-Main event, former Interim Heavyweight Champion Valentine Moldavsky looks to get back in the win column against the undefeated Steve Mowry. Moldavsky suffered a defeat at the hands of Linton Vassell in March. Having lost two of his last three, Moldavsky desperately needs a win to get back into title contention. Mowry has run into unordinary circumstances in his last two fights one ending after an accidental eye poke and the other being a draw. The eye poke came in the first meeting between Mowry and Moldavsky with the fight only lasting 54 seconds. This time around fight fans will actually get to see what a matchup between these two competitors will look like.
Moldavsky was the 2020 Combat Sambo world champion and trains with Team Fedor in Russia. Mowry is an extremely tall Heavyweight at 6’8. This presents problems for some of his opponents on the feet who struggle to get past his reach. Mowry is also a talented grappler who has six submission wins on his record. With the Bellator Heavyweight division wide open this Co-main event will catapult one of these fighters into title contention.
#4 Dalton Rosta (8-0) vs #6 Aaron Jeffery (13-4)
Top Ten ranked Middleweights Dalton Rosta and Aaron Jeffery will be featured on the Bellator 298 main card. Rosta is undefeated in his professional career and has impressed many in his eight fights inside the Bellator cage. At Bellator 298 Rosta defeated Anthony Adams (9-3) in a one-sided unanimous decision that moved him up the Middleweight rankings. Jeffery recently lost to wrestler John Salter but holds impressive wins over Austin Vanderford and Fabio Aguiar. Jeffery will be the taller fighter by two inches and has found success with his striking in recent fights.
Rosta enters this contest as a (-226) betting favorite but has not faced the level of competition that Jeffery has. Jeffery ended highly touted UFC prospect Andre Petroski’s undefeated streak on the regional scene. Jeffery has also competed against ranked UFC contenders Sean Brady and Caio Borralho before signing with Bellator.
Bellator 298 Prelims:
The Bellator 298 prelims feature numerous up-and-coming prospects. Former 2x National Champion at Oklahoma State Jordan Oliver makes his mixed martial arts debut this Friday against Andrew Triolo (0-1). Oliver was a member of the United States Olympic team and is a massive talent at 33 years of age. Triolo most recently competed in the LFA. It will be interesting to see how Oliver’s wrestling translates into MMA. Also on the Bellator 298 prelims, Jiu-Jitsu ace Lucas Brennan (8-0) faces dangerous Brazilian Weber Almeida (7-1). Brennan is just 23 years old and is supremely talented on the ground, with six submission victories. Almeida is (5-1) inside the Bellator cage finishing four of those fights by knockout. This will be the first real step up in competition for Brennan.
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