Forecasting Bellator MMA Champions, Class of 2021

A disjointed schedule interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic did not prevent Bellator MMA from keeping the lines moving in its nine weight classes during the last calendar year. The Scott Coker-led promotion settled into its home away from home at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, waded through the issues that sidelined various other organizations and crowned five new champions in 2020: Vadim Nemkov at light heavyweight, Gegard Mousasi at middleweight, Juan Archuleta at bantamweight, Cristiane Justino at women’s featherweight and Juliana Velasquez at women’s flyweight. Who will be the last men and women standing when the calendar flips to 2022? A look into the crystal ball:

Mina…