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Bellator's Scott Coker: Champ Douglas Lima is 'the best welterweight in the world right now'

Sorry, Tyron Woodley. But for Bellator CEO Scott Coker, the 170-pound division has another undisputed king across the board.

Douglas Lima is a killer,” Coker said in a promotional video leading up to Saturday’s Bellator NYC pay-per-view affair at Madison Square Garden in New York. “I’ll say here, he is the best welterweight in the world right now.”

OK, so Coker may be a little biased. But a look at champ Lima’s record show the claims are not completely without merit. Since his Bellator debut in 2011, Lima has only two losses. The most recent, a title-costing one to Andrey Koreshkov, was later avenged – with Lima re-claiming the belt in the process. Of his 28 career wins, a whopping 24 were finishes.

Lima (28-6 MMA, 10-2 BMMA), who’s also No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, puts his belt on the line against No. 7 Lorenz Larkin (18-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) – a former 205-pounder who makes his Bellator debut on the heels of major UFC wins over contenders Neil Magny and Jorge Masvidal.

Of course, the 170-pound crown is not the only one up for grabs at Saturday’s event. Lightweight champ Michael Chandler (16-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) also tries to keep his majesty when he meets undefeated Brent Primus (7-0 MMA, 5-0 BMMA).

Dubbed the “Mike Tyson of Bellator” by Coker, the champ is clearly feeling up to the task.

“Brent Primus is young, tough guy,” Chandler said. “I’m excited for him. But I’m as close to unbeatable as I’m ever going to be in this sport.”

Primus, however, has some high-caliber support speaking on his behalf. Chael Sonnen, who headlines the card in a long-awaited meeting with longtime foe and MMA legend Wanderlei Silva, is encouraged by what he saw in training with the up-and-comer.

“As fighters, we all know who the best is,” Sonnen said. “We all know who’s where in that weight class. I’ll tell you right now: Michael Chandler, he’s got problems with Brent Primus. Primus is the right guy for this job.”

To hear more from the people involved in Bellator NYC, check out the video above.

And for complete coverage of Bellator NYC and Bellator 180, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

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