5 Reaons To Watch Bellator 35

On March 5, 2011, upstart promotion Bellator Fighting Championships will hold its highly-anticipated “Bellator 35” event. The event sees the start of Bellator’s latest Welterweight Tournament, and this show marks the promotion’s debut on the MTV2 network. Still, some fans may be asking themselves: what are the best reasons to check out this card? Here’s my answer to just that: 5 reasons to watch Bellator 35.

5. The return of Dan Hornbuckle.

Dan Hornbuckle is a name very familiar to Bellator FC fans and international fighting fans. For those that may not have heard of him, Hornbuckle is a very, very talented 22-3 fighter that has finished twenty of his professional wins. Hornbuckle made it all the way to the Welterweight Tournament Finale during Bellator’s last tournament, and many are already predicting that he’ll make another deep run. It’ll certainly be interesting to see if Dan Hornbuckle will prove them right.

4. A new tournament on a new network means it’s a whole new Bellator.

As I said a bit earlier, this is going to be a great jumping-on point for fans that may have not watched Bellator in the past due to any number of reasons, chief of which was their scheduling problems. Say what you want about the MTV2 network, but they’ve brought stability to the Bellator schedule. Now MMA fans and newcomers alike will be able to consistently find and watch Bellator. Not only that, but this is the start of one of Bellator’s famous tournaments, which always seem to produce countless highlight-reel moments.

3. Chris Lozano vs. Lyman Good should be an excellent fight.

In Chris Lozano, you have a 6-0 knockout artist that has been out of the first round on only two occasions. At Bellator 31, Lozano debuted by TKO’ing former UFC fighter Yoshiyuki Yoshida. In Lyman Good, you’ve got a former Bellator Welterweight Champion, a 10-1 fighter with five wins by (T)KO. This is definitely one of the biggest fights of the opening round of the tournament, and it should be a thrilling contest between two men who want to win very, very badly.

2. Jay Hieron will make his Bellator debut.

Even the staunchest Bellator supporter can admit that the Bellator roster is mostly comprised of young up-and-comers. However, fighters like Jay Hieron are beginning to shift that perception. Hieron has basically done everything and fought everywhere: he’s a former champion, he’s fought all across the United States, and he’s competed in countless high-level promotions, not the least of which were the UFC, Strikeforce, the WEC, and even the short-lived Affliction promotion. Hieron brings the type of credibility and interest that only a veteran fighter and proven top-level threat can bring, so it should be very interesting to see how he does in Bellator.

And the number one reason to watch this show is…

1. We owe it to ourselves as MMA fans to support a growing promotion.

Far and away this is the biggest reason to watch this show. Make no mistake, it’s certainly shaping up to be an entertaining show. But this strikes at the core of what it means to be an MMA fan: we need to pay attention to the promotions that take these kinds of risks, because it’s these promotions that end up legitimizing the sport and making sure that it keeps growing. If Bellator is successful on the MTV2 network, it opens the door for countless opportunities in the future, and not just for Bellator. And that’s definitely something I have no problem supporting and advocating.

So there you have it, fans and friends: five great reasons to tune in and see Bellator 35. What about you? As the date draws ever-closer, what are you most looking forward to for this event?