Bellator London is sure to have its fair share of fights to watch but one you should keep an eye on involves Denise Kielholtz and Sabriye Sengul.
These secondary cards aren’t always the sexiest thing for fight fans. Little name value, a lot of up and comers. Fighters holding on too long, or are too new to invest in. Yet it’s these cards that seem to create stars. The bouts you don’t really expect, turn in to star-making outings. Fighters of all ilks end up getting made in matchups you thought only existed to put a star over. Undercard bouts could end up creating the next star, look at Adam Borics. He went from being Aaron Pico’s crash-test dummy to beating Pat Curran to advance in the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix.
Bellator London will see a slew of up-and-coming fighters looking to make a name for themselves and move up the Bellator rankings. The card will feature a lot of new talents for the Bellator brand, and fans will get to experience these fighters for the first time all throughout the card, including the main event. Michael Page defends against first time Bellator fighter, Giovanni Melillo, who’s filling in for the injured Derek Anderson. Melillo is not the only one making their debut at the event for Bellator’s MMA outfit.
Making her Bellator MMA debut, but not her Bellator-brand debut, is Sabriye Sengul, a kickboxing specialist out of Turkey. Sengul has fought for Bellator in the past but as part of their kickboxing outfit. In a bit of interesting fate, Sengul made her promotional debut on the same card (Bellator 177) as her Bellator London opponent; Denise Kielholtz.
Kielholtz, like Sengul, has competed for Bellator’s kickboxing branch before and is currently their women’s flyweight champion. Across all of Bellator, Kielholtz carries a 4-1 kickboxing record and a 3-1 MMA record. Sengul, like Kielholtz, is a world champion at kickboxing as well, only with the World Kickboxing and Karate Union and the International Sport Karate Association. Sengul brings some international appeal to her upcoming fight, including some foreign mainstream appeal as she was a member of the Turkish version of Survivor.
The two fighters should pair off nicely, as both have similar striking games, but the transition for Sengul to MMA should be a challenge. Kieholtz has fought in both and is well versed in both. She should be able to adapt in ways that a first time mixed martial artist may not really be able to. Sengul, like Kiehltz, has traveled the world and is no stranger to adversity. With Bellator’s women’s division still bein flushed out and built upon, this fight could have huge implications for both women’s immediate future within the company.
Both fighters could have a nice career in Bellator, having both been championship fighters. The decision to book them against one another in an MMA bout and not a kickboxing match is a bit perplexing but both should be throwing big bombs regardless of the sport in which they compete in. It’s also fun to watch fighters transition into a new sport and see how they take to it. That’s the big appeal for invested fight fans is the question of Sengul’s transition. As she’s facing someone who’s already accumulated a lot of wins under the Bellator brand, she’s going to have to show that her learning curve isn’t as drastic as some might think.
Bellator London takes place on Saturday, Nov. 23 live from SSE Arena, in London, England. Follow along with FanSided MMA for live results and highlights.