Tomorrow afternoon in the headliner of Bellator 285, we are going to see a pivotal matchup in the lightweight division. Former UFC lightweight champion and Bellator title challenger “Smooth” Benson Henderson (29-11) will take on Ireland’s Peter Queally (13-6-1).
Easy to guess that the Dublin crowd is going to be behind Queally in this one. Queally comes into Bellator 285 coming off a loss in his last bout for the vacant lightweight title. The fight also took place in Dublin and Queally ultimately came short against Patricky Pitbull.
That loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for the Irishman. Thus far in his Bellator career, Queally is 2-2 but he’s really shown off how entertaining of a competitor he is. I don’t expect anything less tomorrow when he locks up with the former world champion.
A Bellator title is the one thing that has evaded Benson Henderson in his career. He climbed the mountain and became WEC champion. Then he became a UFC champion. However, he’s had a crack at both the lightweight and welterweight title in Bellator and every time he’s come up short.
That being said, his Bellator run has still been solid. He’s 6-6 in 12 fights but his losses have come against the very best the promotion has to offer at both 170 and 155. Heading into this fight with Queally, he’s coming off a split decision win over Islam Mamedov that snapped a three-fight losing streak.
Bellator 285 Prediction
A lot of money has come in on Benson Henderson and I’ve seen the odds swell to better than -200 for him to pick up the win. It’s easy to see why considering the career he’s had and the last time we saw Queally, he was getting finished by the lightweight champion.
However, I really am liking the underdog Queally tomorrow at Bellator 285. While Benson Henderson is a legend, I think his best days are behind him. He doesn’t have the same pop or explosion he once did. While he’s more technical and a better grappler than Queally, I’m not sure he has the same level of dog in him.
I expect Queally to have calculated aggression tomorrow. Not reckless like he was at Bellator 270. But instead, aggressive enough to make it uncomfortable for Henderson. I think the size of Queally and the forward pressure is going to poise problems for Henderson.
Over the course of five rounds, I just think Queally is going to get the better of Henderson in his home country. I like the underdog in this one and I’m picking him by decision.
Prediction: Peter Queally by Decision