Doug “The Rhino” Marshall is the kind of fighter that every MMA promotion needs. He’s a little bit crazy, somewhat flawed technically, strong as an ox and fearless in the cage.
There may not be a more fitting nickname for a fighter than The Rhino. Marshall comes straight ahead with full force, and his right hand is the MMA equivalent to a gore.
On Friday night from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California, Marshall will face well-known MMA legend Melvin Manhoef in the main event of Bellator 125.
Here’s a look at the complete card, the viewing information and predictions for each bout. Just below the table is a closer look at the three biggest bouts on the card.
Goiti Yamauchi Will Make Martin Stapleton Tap
The featherweight feature on the Bellator 125 main card could be interesting, but in the the end, Yamauchi‘s submission prowess will be the deciding factor.
Despite the fact that Stapleton has more of a powerful frame, his technique on the ground can’t match Yamauchi. The latter has scored 13 of his 17 wins by way of submission, and that figures to be his best approach against Stapleton.
While Stapleton has shown the ability to finish opponents with submissions in the past, he has also shown some vulnerability there as well. Two of his three defeats have been by submission. Most recently, Saad Awad finished him with a rear-naked choke at Bellator 101.
Look for Yamauchi to hand Stapleton another loss in the same fashion.
Rafael Carvalho Will Win Explosive Battle with Brian Rogers
Both Rogers and Carvalho love to stand and strike. However, when these two exciting warriors clash, Carvalho will come away victorious.
Coming into the bout, Carvalho is undefeated, but he’ll be making his Bellator debut. If you watch his fights, Carvalho’s length (6’3″) is usually a major factor. He understands how to fight tall, which is something every long fighter doesn’t grasp.
He changes levels nicely with strikes and shows excellent counterpunching skills.
Rogers is explosive, as evidenced by his flying-knee KO of Adrian Miles at Bellator 119, but his defense is also a bit suspect at times. Alexander Shlemenko and Andreas Spang both scored stoppage wins over Rogers. Because of the way the two fighter’s styles and frames mix, it’s easy to see Rogers running into a nasty right hand or even a head kick from Carvalho.
In any case, Carvalho stays undefeated with a KO win in his Bellator debut.
Marshall Will Steam Roll Manhoef
Manhoef has faced some of the best in the history of MMA. Bouts with Tim Kennedy, Robbie Lawler, Gegard Mousasi and Mark Hunt are all on Manhoef‘s resume. Here’s the problem with that: of all the names we just mentioned, Manhoef only scored a victory over Hunt.
As a younger fighter, Manhoef didn’t grab wins over big names. At 38 years old, it seems unlikely that Manhoef would be able to take down a hungry and dangerous striker like Marshall.
Marshall understands this could be his last opportunity to move closer to MMA glory. He is no spring chicken at 37 years old, and he lost his last bout against Shlemenko. He’s also fighting in front of his hometown crowd in Fresno.
The Rhino is looking to use all of that as a motivation to put on a show. He told Matt Erickson of MMA Junkie, “This could be my last run at a title shot, so I’m taking this very seriously. I’m coming to put it down right here in California in front of my home crowd, so I’m pumped. I’m hyped. This fight is gonna be off the hook.”
Marshall may never realize his dream of becoming champion, but he will finish Manhoef on Friday.
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