On Friday night, the “Loro” is looking to have the last word. Marcos “Loro” Galvao will attempt to dethrone the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet,” Joe Warren, in the main event of Bellator 135. The event takes place at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Warren’s Bellator bantamweight title will be on the line in an intriguing rematch.
In the co-main event, 135-pound contender and veteran LC Davis faces Hideo Tokoro in a fight that could position Davis to challenge the winner of the main event in the future. Davis has won both of his fights with Bellator and has the look of a fighter capable of competing with the best in his weight class within the promotion.
The viewing information, card and predictions are below.
Why Galvao Will Win
The Spanish-to-English translation for “loro“ is “parrot.” Continuing that theme, we’d have to describe the decision rendered in the fighters’ first meeting as a “robo.” That’s “robbery” in English.
Despite Galvao clearly outstriking his opponent and keeping the fight off the mat for most of the bout, the unanimous decision went to Warren. Spike TV and Bellator analyst Jimmy Smith called it “the worst decision” he’d seen with the promotion in the hype video below.
It was actually one of the worst MMA decisions I’ve seen with any promotion. Not only was the wrong guy awarded the victory, one judge proved he completely ignored the action by scoring it 30-27 in favor of Warren on one card.
As far as Friday’s rematch is concerned, Warren is a much better fighter now than he was then. He seems to have found the fountain of youth, as the 38-year-old champion is proving to be a legitimate title holder. He’s riding a five-fight win streak heading into Friday’s bout.
Galvao has been on a roll himself. He’s won three fights in a row, and he has to have some confidence he can get the best of the champion again. No matter how much Warren ignores what happened in the first fight and proclaims himself the superior fighter, he has to have real doubts that he can beat Galvao.
The key to this fight will be Galvao‘s takedown defense. If Warren can’t control the identity of the fight by making it a ground scrap, he’s going to find himself in peril again. I believe Galvao will effectively counter Warren’s attempts to wrestle and look to be more aggressive in stand-up when he sees the champion’s frustration.
With more effective and diverse striking, Galvao will win a split decision to become the Bellator bantamweight champion.
Why Davis Will Beat Tokoro
Hideo Tokoro has a wealth of experience, but he’s also tasted defeat 27 times in his career. At 32-27, he’s dangerously close to a .500 career winning percentage. In MMA or any combat sport, that’s not a good look.
Tokoro is primarily a submissions artist, but Davis’ physical strength and wrestling technique should be enough to ward off his opponent’s attempts to gain the advantage on the ground. Much of Davis’ career was fought at featherweight. He came down to bantamweight, and his record is 6-1 since making the switch.
Tokoro fought at 125 pounds previously, and the 37-year-old will be in the cage with a bigger, stronger athlete who is going to control the bout with his physicality. Davis will win via TKO.
Why Carmont Will Beat Viana
Francis “Limitless” Carmont reached his limit in the UFC. After three straight losses, he was released from the promotion and has landed with Bellator. He’s a dominant wrestler and a physical specimen. However, at times he lacks the aggressiveness and stand-up prowess to be effective.
Luckily for him, he’ll be in the cage with an opponent who isn’t on his level as a fighter.
Guilherme Viana has had just seven professional fights, but none in a major promotion. He’ll be mystified by Carmont‘s advanced grappling, and that should lead to a one-sided decision victory for Limitless.
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