Andrey Koreshkov vs Fernando Gonzalez and Chris Honeycutt vs Kendall Grove have been added to Bellator 174. The event will take place on 3rd March at the Winstar Casino, Thackerville, Oklahoma, United States.
Spartan and Maniac make co-main
The welterweight clash between “Spartan” and “The Menifee Maniac” will be the co-main event of the evening supporting Marloes Coenen vs Julia Budd. The former welterweight champion takes on Gonzalez in a must-win tie for each fighter. After good runs of form for both fighters, both suffered defeat in their last bout with Andrey losing his title to Douglas Lima whilst Fernando Gonzalez lost to British starlet Michael “Venom” Page.
With a defeat being the last result of each contender, both will be eager to get back to winning ways in the States. At just 26 years of age, the Russian still has a lengthy career ahead of him and a win over the American would put him straight back into contention to fight for the title he lost in November. A title fight against Douglas Lima would set up a third fight between the 170lb mixed martial artists. On the other end of the spectrum, Gonzalez, who is nearing the end of his career will be looking for a win to propel himself up the welterweight ladder and aim for a title shot before retirement. A loss, however, could spell the end for “The Menifee Maniac”.
2017 debuts for Honeycutt and Grove
“The Cutt” faces “Da Spyder” in a middleweight contest that sees each fighter entering their first bout of 2017. With an almost flawless record of (9-1) for the Californian, he will be looking to build on a successful start to his MMA career. His opponent, Grove, is a highly experienced operator. Despite a hit and miss career, the Hawaiian has amassed a total of 40 fights with a record of (23-16-1NC).
One interesting aspect of this match is the significance of reach. Honeycutt stands at 5’10” whilst Grove stands at a towering 6’6″. Whilst on paper the Dethrone Base Camp looks a somewhat clear favorite with his superior record, the height and reach advantage plays massively into the Straight Rootless Fight Team athlete’s hands.
