https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8UorZ6LssI Weight Class: Light Heavyweight And so we reach the first current Bellator champion on the list. Emanuel "the Hardcore Kid" Newton has jumped around a lot during his MMA career. Losing the first two fights of his pro career, including his debut against now UFC fighter Brian Ebersole, Newton went on to score a win in the popular WEC organization (which the UFC would later acquire to make up its lighter weight classes) before appearing in the IFL, MFC, and Shark Fights, with stops in other smaller promotions along the way. Newton had some minor success prior to Bellator, winning the MFC (Maximum Fighting Championship) light heavyweight title from Roger Hollet only to lose it to Trevor Prangley in his first title defense. After a 5 fight win streak between his final MFC fights and a handful of bouts in Shark Fights and Superior Cage Combat, Newton signed with Bellator and entered their Summer 2012 series light heavyweight tournament - where, after winning his quarter-final match, he would lose to eventual champion Attila Vegh. Entering the light heavyweight tournament again in Bellator Season 8, Newton would then shock MMA fans everywhere with a stunning, highlight reel spinning backfist KO of star King Mo. No one saw it coming, and no one saw it coming when he beat King Mo again with the interim light heavyweight belt on the line, while Vegh was briefly out with an injury. Revenge must have tasted sweet after that, as Newton would avenge his earlier Bellator loss to Vegh, and win the Bellator light heavyweight title in March of 2014 in a split decision. Newton's next opponent is unknown. In theory, the winner of Bellator's last light heavyweight tournament, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, would be getting the next title shot - but the two share a coach and have trained together, and reportedly aren't keen on fighting one another. That leaves a big question mark for Newton, but in the meantime we can speculate how he might fare in the UFC, in the light heavyweight division there, given he has two wins over a fighter in King Mo who many touted as UFC-bound at one point in his career.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.