Daniel Straus vs. Goti Yamauchi
Straus captured the belt and Goti was all but guaranteed a shot at the title after his last fight. He has won multiple fights in a row and seems to be a legit threat. It is better to make this then another rematch for the current and former champion Straus.
Patricio Freire vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
Freire is in a weird post having lost to someone he beat twice before. Does this mean he should get an instant rematch? Well, maybe but the issue is that it is just going to water down an already weak division. Karakhanyan was supposed to face off with the champion before an injury, but he should not come back as a number one contender without getting his feet wet before hand. A fight between the two makes sense to get a new number one contender.
Will Brooks vs. Brandon Gritz or Brent Primus
There really is no one for the champion to fight outside of fights he has already won. H has wins over most of the top guys along with most of them not having more than a one fight winning streak. Fritz has a fight lined up and if he gets past him then he should face off with the champion due to capitalizing on the notoriety after he got past former uFC fighter Melvin Guillard. If not, Primus in undefeated and has won multiple fights int he organization. That means he may deserve a title shot even if he does not have a name to back it up.
Marcin Held vs. Ryan Couture
These are two of the best submission artist in Bellator. Plus, it seems like it is a smart idea to use the Couture name after he has already won two in a row for the promotion.
Michael Chandler vs. Josh Thomson
Josh Thomson is most likely close to a title shot due to his being a big name, but the issue is that that is not how Bellator should play it. They should let a home grown talent try and give Thomson a loss before he potentially takes the championship belt. It will not look good if a UFC castoff wins the title. Chandler also needs a signature win before he fights Will Brooks again and Thomson presents that challenge.
Dave Rickels vs. Saad Awad
These two fought a couple years ago with some people pointing to a bad stoppage. Awad has gone 4-2 since then with his losses coming to the current champion and Freire where Rickels has only gone 2-3 since their initial meeting. It would be fight good for the fans and a fight both fighters probably want to run back.
Bobby Lashley vs. Fedor?
Everyone is clamoring for Fedor to fight someone legitimate, but it is not going to happen. This fight makes sense considering that Lashley is a bit of a sideshow already considering his ties to professional wrestling still and Bellator seemingly unwilling to let him fight the cash cow in Kimbo or for the title. Fedor would be a great bout and if he won, then it would mean huge ratings for Bellator in his next fight.