On paper, the layout of the Bellator MIddleweight semifinals seemed in the concrete favor of a rematch between former Bellator middleweight challenger Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko and former WEC middleweight standout Bryan “The Beast” Baker.
Baker had everything going his way after a win over one Jared Hess, but then he ran into a surefire underdog in Wand Fight Team prodigy VItor Vianna, who is notorious for being a training ally of MMA legend and current UFC 139 co-headliner “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva.
On paper, Vianna was not supposed to beat Baker, as his own punching power was not solid enough to put away a durable Sam Alvey and therefore it was presumed that Vianna needed to take the equally durable Baker down in order to find a tap.
As Baker would learn last night in the first Bellator middleweight semifinal bout of Season 5, however, multiple grappling and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu championships does not always mean that a man has inferior striking to his competition.
Alexander Shlemenko would be wise to remember this, because when Bellator 58 rolls around, he may have to contend with something similar to this, and it could cost Shlemenko his shot at a rematch with Hector Lombard.
Of course, we can talk about Lombard later, preferably when his bout with Trevor Prangley draws closer. But for right now, feel free to see what happens when you write off the striking of a multi-time Jiu-Jitsu champion.
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