6 Things You Need To Know Before Bellator NYC

Bellator 180 is the official title for the Spike TV portion of the card, and before the pay-per-view you'll be able to see the Phil Davis vs. Ryan Bader rematch for the light heavyweight title. Their first bout in UFC wasn't great, but both will be itching to put on a show.

Strabane's James Gallagher has been on a tear since coming over to Bellator, and he'll hope to keep it going against Chinzo Machida. Best known as the brother of Lyoto, Chinzo has been on fire himself recently, drubbing Mario Navarro in his Bellator debut before knocking out Jamar Ocampo.

Two more legacy fighters compete in New York as Neiman Gracie and Ryan Couture take on Dave Marfone and Haim Gozali respectively. While obviously overshadowed by their legendary fathers, both men will look to step out of that shadow and make a name for themselves.

Heather Hardy makes the seemingly rare transition in 2017 from boxing to MMA to make her pro debut, taking on Alice Yauger. Hardy was supposed to fight in Invicta a few months ago, but her opponent pulled out late. Undefeated in 21 pro boxing bouts, it'll be exciting to see what Hardy has in the cage.

And to round out the pomp and circumstance, Bellator recently signed Mike Goldberg and Mauro Ranallo for broadcasting duties. Two big name signings, Goldberg comes in after almost 20 years as the voice of the UFC. Ranallo is perhaps best known recently as the announcer for WWE SmackDown, but great stints in Pride and Strikeforce make him arguably the best play-by-play announcer in MMA history. Goldberg will call Bellator 180 with Jimmy Smith, while Ranallo will call the pay-per-view. With both making their debuts at The Garden, it adds another wrinkle to the most important night in Bellator's history.