Bellator have announced that new signee Lorenz Larkin will make his debut for the organisation against 170lb welterweight champion Douglas Lima at Bellator 180.

Lorenz Larkin is an exciting addition to an increasingly impressive welterweight roster that Scott Coker and his team are building at Bellator. Given this, now seems like a good time to take a look at the current crop of Bellator welterweight standouts and see how they match up against their counterparts at the leading mma outfit, the UFC.

Rory MacDonald

Rory 'Red King' MacDonald is probably the biggest name to move from the UFC to Bellator. Rory MacDonald has been long thought of as the ‘new breed’ of fighters that would help catapult Mixed Martial Arts to the next level.

MacDonald holds notable wins over current UFC Champion Tyron Woodley and top contender Demian Maia. The UFC would be a stronger with the ‘Red King’ in their ranks however they could not agree terms on MacDonald’s contract renewal, allowing Bellator to scoop in and pull off an audacious coup.

Despite losing his last two UFC fights (to Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, and then champion Robbie Lawler), MacDonald would still be a major threat to anyone in the UFC. MacDonald’s wins against Woodley and Maia are hard to ignore. Especially as many have argued that Maia is overdue a title shot against Woodley. Bellator can easily boast to having in their ranks the guy who beat the best the UFC have to offer at welterweight.

Lorenz Larkin

Under-appreciated in the UFC, Larkin is one of the most underrated fighters in mma. He holds wins over long-time UFC champion Robbie Lawler and highly touted prospect Jorge Masvidal. His last fight for the UFC was a short-notice statement win over top 10 rated Neil Magny in the first round. Larkin’s talent have not gone unnoticed by Bellator and his debut fight will be for the title.

In many ways the UFC failed to make the most of Larkin. His only defeat at welterweight in the UFC was a split decision loss to Albert Tumenov. In many ways, Larkin leaves organisation, just as he was finding his groove. A rematch against Lawler would have made all the sense in the world. Both stand-up fighters with a point to prove. The winner could have been lined up for a title shot. Alas Larkin has left to write the next chapter of his MMA career in Bellator.

Michael ‘Venom’ Page

Love him or hate him, Michael Venom Page (aka ‘MVP’) is the most exciting welterweight prospect in all of MMA. He has been brought along careful in Bellator however if he can beat elite fighter in the same style that he has defeated lower ranked opposition, he could very well live up to the moniker of the ‘next Anderson Silva.’

It’s difficult to say what MVP would do if he was in the UFC. One thing is certain, he would make headlines. His brash, arrogant fighting style would make him hard to ignore. He is a fighter that can easily be marketed into the next big superstar provided he is able to replicate his performances on the biggest stage against the best fighters.

I’m sure the UFC would love Page in their ranks. Wonderboy Thompson was able to take his point- karate style to a title shot. There is no saying that MVP could not do the same.

However right now Page is the jewel in the Bellator crown. And if he is able to conquer all in their growing welterweight division, he could very well be the fighter that rises Bellator’s profile to the next level.

Mainstays

On top of these three, there are Bellator mainstays in the welterweight division, Douglas Lima, Andrey ‘The Spartan’ Koreshkov and Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley. All three of whom would not look out of place fighting in the UFC. Indeed if it were not for a moment of madness in his last fight for the UFC against Josh Koscheck, Paul Daley could still be knocking out opponents in the big show.

Parity

There is no doubt that the UFC has a far deeper roster of fighters than Bellator. However the fighters at the top of the welterweight tree in Bellator are a match for anyone in the UFC. It’s arguable that Bellator are two or three top fighters away from parity with UFC in the welterweight division. Something that was unthinkable a couple of years back.

In many ways the UFC welterweight division has stagnated. After the departure of George St Pierre three years ago, the welterweight division was held up by epic fights involving Robbie Lawler. Lawler vs Hendricks I & II, Lawler vs MacDonald I & II, Lawler vs Conduit will go down as all-time classic mma fights. However it seems the likes of Carlos Condit, Johny Hendricks and Lawler have seen their best days.

Since Woodley’s one round annihilation of Lawler, the welterweight division has seen two intriguing yet largely lacklustre title fights between Woodley and Stephen Thompson. The most high profile and memorable fights at welterweight last year involved two lightweights (Conor McGregor vs Nate Diaz I & II).

The return of GSP, the rise of Jorge Masvidal and the resurgence of Damien Maia should breathe some much needed life into the UFC welterweight division.

However Bellator can now put on equally intriguing match-ups that will have hardcore MMA fans salivating.

Fights between the likes of MacDonald, Larkin, MVP, Lima, Daley and Koreshkov will light up any welterweight division in any promotion. UFC included.