Predictions: Bellator 299 Card – Big Duels in Dublin!

Bellator is back in Dublin! Today, Bellator returns once more to the Emerald Isle for a fantastic fight card. Live from the 3Arena in Dublin, this card is one that should not be missed. Here, we are offering our predictions for the full main card of Bellator 299 – which just so happens to be one of the biggest of the year! Read on to find our predictions below!

Prediction: Johnny Eblen vs Fabian Edwards (Bellator Middleweight Championship)

This is such an interesting and intriguing title fight, and for so many reasons.

Johnny Eblen (the current Bellator middleweight champion), is a very, very good fighter. With a rock solid wrestling base, he has built and developed an extensive, well-rounded arsenal (courtesy of training at American Top Team). He has continued to maintain an extensive undefeated record due to his relentless forward pressure (his nickname “pressure” is appropriate to say the very least), as well as his heavy hands. He's currently trending as a -500 favourite to retain his title, and for very good reason too.

It speaks very much to his impressive fighting ability that Eblen is widely touted as one of the top middleweight fighters in the world at the moment, and that is not hyperbole. People like Dustin Poirier have been singing the praises of Eblen, claiming that he will put on a dominant display to retain his middleweight title.

Fabian Edwards – Edwards Upset 2.0 Incoming?

Enter Fabian Edwards. The brother of Leon Edwards, “The Assassin” has been absolutely tearing his way through the middleweight ranks of Bellator, currently riding a three fight win streak. His streak includes wins over MMA legends Gegard Mousasi and Lyoto Machida, as well as fellow contender Charlie Ward. An impressive run, indeed…

Fabian Edwards has long been touted as a true dark horse of the Bellator middleweight division. He has been absolutely adamant that he is here to steamroll through the division and to join his brother as a world champion. And he has been very impressive and emphatic in proving his point.

Johnny Eblen and Fabian Edwards are sure to put on an absolute war in Dublin on Saturday night. (Image Credit: Sports Illustrated)

Unlike the bookies (who have Fabian Edwards at a massive +350), I actually think Fabian Edwards could win this fight. The parallels between the Edwards brothers are pretty striking. Like his brother, Fabian faces a dominant wrestler known for his heavy, heavy forward pressure, as well as his very heavy hands. However, also like his brother, Fabian has razor sharp striking, and near lightning-quick movement. If he can put some damage together against Eblen's legs in order to slow him down, then Edwards could absolutely pull this out of the bag. He has also proven that he is more than able to rise to the big occasion, too.

It's certainly an upset pick, but I'm offering the prediction that Fabian Edwards will shock the world and become the NEW Bellator middleweight champion of the world.

Prediction: Aaron Pico vs Pedro Carvalho (Featherweight)

Like the main event, this fight is sure to be a barn burner, and definitely has the potential to steal the show.

Aaron Pico is one of the brightest fighting prospects anywhere in the world. Prior to his loss against Jeremy Kennedy last year, Pico was actually riding an absolute tidal wave of momentum, to the tune of a six fight winning streak. His freak shoulder injury he suffered in losing to Kennedy was concerning to fans and media alike. However, he rallied back to secure a unanimous decision win over James Gonzalez in his return.

Aaron Pico and Pedro Carvalho serve up a very tasty featherweight co-main event in Dublin on Saturday night. (Image Credit: Sports Illustrated)

SBG and Portugal's Pedro Carvalho is in the exact opposite run of form. If Aaron Pico has been on a tidal wave run of form, then Pedro Carvalho has been on a cartoon, up-and-down rollercoaster of a run recently. Ironically, both Pico and Pedro have lost to Jeremy Kennedy, with Carvalho losing a unanimous decision to Kennedy last time out.

I ultimately am predicting that Aaron Pico's speed, movement and power will be too much for Pedro. Aaron's right hand is absolutely nuclear, and when he detonates, people go down. My prediction is that Aaron Pico might pick up a big knockout win in this fiery featherweight co-main event.

Prediction: Sinead Kavanagh vs Sara Collins (Women's Featherweight)

Wow, talk about being thrown in at the deep end.

Australia's Sara Collins is taking on a very, very big challenge in facing Ireland's Sinead Kavanagh. Collins, who is 4-0-0 as a professional, made her Bellator debut in very impressive fashion earlier this year, submitting Pam Sorensen with an arm lock in March of 2023. To jump from that to Sinead Kavanagh is a…brave move, to put it lightly.

Sara Collins will be hoping to pull off one huge upset when she faces Sinead Kavanagh in Dublin, Ireland. (Image Credit: Bellator)

Sinead Kavanagh is one of the most experienced fighters in Bellator, without question. She is also a fighter used to being firmly in the spotlight. She is currently riding a two fight win streak, with those wins coming against Belfast's Leah McCourt and New Zealand's Janay Harding. Kavanagh is a very good all-rounder, and she is as tough as it comes. This is where I think Sara Collins might come unstuck.

When it comes down to it, Sinead Kavanagh has been the distance many, many times. She has also faced every possible level of adversity. I think her experience and grit will be the difference in this fight. My prediction is that Sinead Kavanagh wins via unanimous decision in this fight, but I am also making the prediction that Sara Collins will take a lot from this fight too.

Prediction: Mads Burnell vs Daniel Weichel (Featherweight)

In this fight, we have yet another intriguing featherweight matchup on our hands.

Denmark's Mads Burnell has started to recover his recent, very impressive run of form. Following two losses to Adam Borics and Pedro Carvalho, Burnell was able to stop the rot with an impressive unanimous decision victory over Justin Gonzales at Bellator 295 in April of this year. Prior to those losses to Borics and Carvalho, Burnell was riding an incredibly impressive seven fight winning streak, proving just how good he truly is.

Mads Burnell will be hoping to keep his hot streak running when he faces Daniel Weichel on Saturday night. (Image Credit: Sporting News)

On the other hand, MMA veteran Daniel Weichel has been massively inconsistent over the last several years, with wins and losses repeatedly finding themselves interchangeable on a fight-by-fight basis. In fact, you have to go all the way back to 2017 to find some consistent form on the part of Daniel Weichel. At 38 years old, his time in Bellator could well be coming to an end soon. My prediction is that this will be a good fight for Mads Burnell to continue to build on. I am making the prediction that Mads Burnell stops the gritty veteran Weichel in the second round.

Prediction: Levan Chokheli vs Sabah Homasi (Welterweight)

Georgia's Levan Chokheli is coming into this fight off the back of two unanimous decision victories over Roman Faraldo and Michael Lombardo. Widely considered to be a rock solid prospect in the welterweight division, Levan Chokheli will be hoping to bring his incredibly well-rounded game to Dublin to secure his third victory in a row – one which would very much see him put the rest of the Bellator welterweight division on notice.

In the other corner stands Sabah Homasi. “The Sleek Sheik” fights out of American Top Team, and he has some very impressive variety to his game. Victories have come via arm triangle, as well as devastating, detonating knockouts. Unlike his opponent, Homasi is coming into this fight off the back of a defeat (to welterweight star Brennan Ward). It will be very intriguing to see how that affects Homasi heading into this fight.

My prediction is that this will be a very close fight. I think that Chokheli and Homasi are pretty evenly matched, but I also predict that momentum will be a big factor in this fight, and Levan Chokheli has all of it. My prediction is that Chokheli's confidence and self belief will drive him to a hard-fought decision victory in Dublin.

And that is it! A truly epic main card that comes to you live from Dublin, Ireland on Saturday, September 23rd. There are sure to be some truly epic fights, as well as a truly amazing main event for the Bellator middleweight championship.