Love or hate Emanuel “Hardcore Kid” Newton’s style, it has been effective. The reigning Bellator light heavyweight champion will put his belt on the line Friday night at Bellator 130 when he faces Linton “The Swarm” Vassell at the Kansas Star Arena in Mulvane, Kansas.
Fresh off his sudden knockout of Joey “The Mexicutioner” Beltran via spinning back fist last month, Newton is ready to go at it again. Vassell has won nine fights in a row, including a three-fight win streak in the Bellator promotion.
We’ll see if he can crack The Hardcore Kid.
The Newton-Vassell clash main events the card, but the co-feature will see Bobby Lashley compete in his second Bellator event. After submitting Josh Burns in his debut, The Dominator will take on the undefeated Karl Etherington.
Lashley has become a major draw for the Spike network, appearing recently on Impact Wrestling shows. With his brand on the rise again, can he pick up another victory to continue his ascension?
Here’s the viewing information for the event and predictions for each bout on the card. Just below the table is a closer look at the two featured bouts.
The Dominator Will Blow Through Etherington
While fights featuring Lashley might feel like gimmick bouts, this one is not. It appears Lashley has serious designs about contending and winning the Bellator heavyweight title. He’ll have to win a few more times, but matchmakers with the company probably won’t make it that tough on him considering his star power.
Because all parties involved seem to have a desire to elevate Lashley, he’ll be taking on a fighter who has yet to have a blemish on his record. This looks great on paper, but in reality, Etherington isn’t all that good.
The last time we saw him in Bellator, his stamina was a major concern, and he nearly lost to a journeyman heavyweight named Jason Fish. Here’s that entire fight:
Etherington‘s takedown defense was less than stellar, and he was totally gassed about three minutes into the fight. Against a big, strong and physical wrestler like Lashley, he won’t stand a chance. The Dominator will win by submission.
Hardcore Kid is Too Slick for Vassell
Many Bellator fans would prefer to see Newton taking on Quinton “Rampage” Jackson or Liam McGeary, but friendship and injury, respectively, eliminated those opponents from consideration.
Vassell isn’t a pushover. He has excellent wrestling skills. He’s long at 6’4″, and he’s always in great shape. The problem for him is that if the fight remains standing, he’s not quick enough defensively to avoid the unorthodox striking habits of the champion.
Newton is a cerebral fighter. He knows Vassell will sell out to get the takedown.
When he does, look for Newton to stop him in his tracks with jabs and rhythm-disrupting kicks. Just when it seems as though Newton is content to pitty-pat, he’ll fire a destructive counter that will lead to another stoppage win for the champion.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com