Weight Class: Heavyweight The Province ran a recent article pointing out that heavyweight is the one division in MMA where two total unknowns can be fighting, and people will still take interest. It's the promise of a potentially brutal knockout that does it; those vicious potential outcomes appeal to our morbid sense of curiosity. With that in mind, Bellator MMA is wise to open Bellator 125 with a heavyweight tilt, in the hopes that it will produce an exciting finish and hook viewers. Javy Ayala (7-3) is on a two fight win streak with defeats over some legit names (Thiago Santos and Eric Prindle), both under the Bellator banner, but prior to that he was 1-3 in four. Raphael Butler is the prospect Bellator would like to push, however. He's had four fights under the Bellator banner,and is undefeated, although the promotion has apparently forgotten about his most recent fight, a draw at Bellator 119 back in May, as they have left it off his record on their website's Bellator 125 page. While Butler is undefeated, Ayala has faced stiffer competition, and there's a good chance he takes the win here, by TKO in the second.
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.
