Just one week after Bellator set its own ratings record with Bellator 138, the promotion has another chance to grab the MMA spotlight with Bellator 139 on Friday.
The promotion will once again go to the heavyweight division for its main event. Former UFC veteran Cheick Kongo will take on Alexander Volkov in what figures to be an important bout in shaping the landscape of the division.
Kongo and Volkov aren’t the only fighters worth watching on the card. Scott Coker has put a card together worthy of capitalizing on the momentum that Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock created just a week ago.
Here’s a look at the main card, along with some predictions for the event.
Joe Schilling vs. Hisaki Kato
Bellator isn’t going with the most significant fight to kick off the card on Spike. Joe Schilling is just 2-4 in MMA, while Kato is making his Bellator debut with a record of 4-1. The 32-year-old comes from the Japanese promotion Heat, where he lost his last time out against Henrique Shigemoto.
What this fight will do is entertain.
Schilling is an accomplished kickboxer who also competes in Glory on Spike. His 2-4 record doesn’t portray just how explosive he can be in the cage. The 31-year-old has moved his training camp to American Top Team and feels he is ready to take the next step in his progression as an MMA fighter, per Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting:
I think I’ve improved a lot,” Schilling said about his time at ATT. “Obviously I won’t know until I’m with somebody that’s a lower level than the Olympians that are beating my ass every day. I think my overall awareness and understanding of the game of MMA has improved a lot. I think it’s going to be a big difference. All my instincts have been kickboxing for the last 10 or 12 years.
Kato isn’t a bad striker either. All four of his wins in Japan have come by way of knockout. It’s clear that Coker expects these two to put on a show, as Schilling is the only one of them to have seen a decision in his career.
With Kato most likely looking to stand and trade with the professional kickboxer, this should be a great opportunity for Schilling to get back to his winning ways.
Schilling wins by first-round TKO.
David Rickels vs. John Alessio
It doesn’t get much more Bellator than David Rickels. The 26-year-old will enter the Bellator cage for the 14th time on Friday. His career is a testament to the organization’s ability to cultivate some of its own star power.
Tuning in to watch the lightweight is worth it just for his over-the-top walk to the ring:
Rickels isn’t just a gimmick, though. He’s fought the best in the promotion and is 2-1 since losing to Michael Chandler in a title fight. With two of his three losses coming against Chandler and perennial lightweight contender Patricky Freire, Rickels has only struggled against top competition.
Alessio might challenge that trend, though. The Canadian is a big lightweight with championships in King of the Cage and Tachi Palace Fights in the welterweight division. The journeyman has fought 53 times and is a crafty submission artist.
In the end, it’s hard to go against the youth in this one. Rickels still has room to develop into a title contender. Alessio is a solid opponent, but at this point the 35-year-old is what he is.
Rickels wins by unanimous decision.
Cheick Kongo vs. Alexander Volkov
The main event is a battle of heavyweights who are looking to get back on the right track. Cheick Kongo came to Bellator with hopes of proving he was more than a UFC retread. Thus far, he’s showed the same kind of inconsistency that plagued his entire career.
The 40-year-old is just 4-2 in his Bellator fights with a split-decision loss to Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal his last time out. Given that Lawal usually competes at 205 pounds, that’s not a strong showing.
Volkov—on the other hand—hasn’t done much to show that he can return to his top form either. The former Bellator heavyweight champion is coming off a split-decision loss to Tony Johnson in his return to the company after a brief two-fight stint on the regional circuit in Russia.
With either fighter likely jumping right back in the mix with a win, the desperation should be palpable. Both fighters are rangy strikers, so the chances this one stays on the feet are good, although Kongo has said he feels comfortable regardless of where it ends up.
“For sure he would like to exchange and get the possibility to put me down no matter what,” Kongo said, per Steve Juon of MMA Mania. “If he’s going for the striking, let’s do it! And then on the ground, let’s do it…that’s MMA.”
In a heavyweight slugfest, the one who has incurred the least amount of damage is a good bet. At 26 years old, Volkov might have a little more in the tank than Kongo does. When you factor in that champion Vitaly Minakov is the only one to knock out Volkov, his chances look even better.
Volkov wins by third-round TKO.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com