Fresh off a humbling loss in a catchweight bout against light heavyweight MMA legend Tito Ortiz, Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko is back to take on a guy his own size.
On Friday, he defends the title against undefeated Brandon “Bull” Halsey in the main event of Bellator 126 from Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.
On the undercard, Patricky “Pitbull” Friere will take on Marcin Held in the finale of the lightweight tournament. Thiago Meller faces Bubba Jenkins in a featherweight feature bout, and Mike Richman takes on Ed West.
Here’s a look at the complete card with viewing info and predictions for each fight. Just below the table is a closer look at the top three fights on the card.
Bubba Jenkins Will Overwhelm Thiago Meller
Meller is a well-trained submissions fighter, but he appears to have problems against aggressive and athletic opponents. When he lost to Anton Kuivanen back in 2011 when both were fighting for Cage, Meller didn’t handle his opponent’s aggression well.
He spent more time retreating and scrambling than trying to mount any offense. Meller avoided being stopped but still lost a clear unanimous decision.
Against Jenkins, he won’t go the distance. As a wrestler, Jenkins is top-notch. He also has speed, power and quick-twitch explosiveness to close distance quickly.
He’ll gain top position against Meller and pound him out for the TKO win.
Marcin Held Will Score Statement-Making Submission Win over Pitbull
Friere is one of the most exciting and dangerous fighters in Bellator, but he’s about to go up against a truly gifted submissions specialist.
Held knows his game well, and he’s extremely cerebral.
His striking is good enough to defend himself and offer a little offense, but it’s really just used to set up the takedown. Friere is explosive, but it’s only a matter of time before he runs into a collision that leads to a trip to the mat.
Once there, Held has a seemingly endless supply of submission finishes at his disposal. Aside from Joe Lauzon and perhaps Demian Maia, you won’t find a fighter who transitions from submission to submission like Held.
He’ll make Pitbull tap out, and everyone in the MMA world take notice.
Shlemenko Will Get Back to His Winning Ways
To put it plain, Ortiz was too big for Shlemenko. Challenging the MMA legend was a bit of a no-lose situation for Shlemenko, and it helped the company.
Shlemenko is still considered the top middleweight, but the loss helped to put Ortiz over with some level of legitimacy. What is this, TNA?
In any case, Shlemenko will have a formidable opponent in front of him in Halsey. The challenger is a big and strong middleweight. He looks for the takedown and submission in many of his matches.
Most recently, he relentlessly pursued an armbar finish against Brett Cooper at Bellator 122. Late in the first round, Halsey finally flattened Cooper out to get the tapout.
Against Shlemenko, matters will be tougher. The champion has excellent striking evidenced by his 29 KO wins, and his own submission skills are nothing to sneeze at. Shlemenko has won eight bouts by tap out, but this one will be decided with his hands and knees.
Expect a knee to the body or head to start the damage, and Shlemenko will finish matters via ground-and-pound. Not everyone agrees.
Halsey is definitely no pushover, and with Melvin Manhoef waiting in the wings for the winner, it’s an exciting time for the Bellator middleweight division and the company as a whole.
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