Bellator 284: Said Sowma looks to bounce back with ‘ground finish’ against Gokhan Saricam

Said Sowma takes on Gokhan Saricam at Bellator 284 on Aug. 12.

Said Sowma is the No.10 ranked Bellator heavyweight, and he’s looking to bounce back from a loss in his last fight. Sowma lost a close split decision against the No. 9 ranked Davion Franklin. Six months later, the American Top Team product returns against Gokhan Saricam at Bellator 284 on Aug. 12.

Sowma joined Bellator in 2020 with the hopes of becoming their heavyweight champion. After a loss in his debut to Tyrell Fortune, the 30-year-old put the division on notice with wins against Ronny Markes and Vitaly Minakov.

With the Franklin loss in the past, Sowma is looking to get back on track against the Turkish heavyweight, who has won three straight fights.

“I try to keep an open mind,” Sowma told FanSided. “I’m seeing a takedown. Someone’s gonna be on the ground. I actually feel like he would even try to take me down, but I don’t think he knows that the jiu-jitsu game is there, so I predict a takedown and a ground finish. Either ground and pound or submission.”

Said Sowma wants rematch against Davion Franklin in the future

Sowma’s last fight ended his two-fight win streak when he lost to Franklin by split decision (30-27, 29-28, and 28-29). Despite the disappointing loss, Sowma believes he will fight Franklin again in the future.

“I still want my own revenge one day,” said Sowma when asked about his teammate Marcelo Golm beating Franklin. “Yeah, down the line. Not now. There’s no reason to fight right now. Let us both become bigger names, go up in the rankings, maybe one of us has the belt.”

For now, Sowma is focused on beating Saricam at Bellator 284. Saricam has a pro-MMA record of 7-1, with his only loss to Steve Mowry. With a win against Saricam, Sowma will be back on track to becoming the Bellator heavyweight champion.