Bellator’s sixth season has gripped the world of MMA with the self-proclaimed No. 2 promotion hoping to put a stamp on its status with Bellator 64, taking place tonight at Caesars in Windsor, Ontario.
The main card will feature a title showdown between reigning Middleweight champion Ben Askren and season five tournament winner Douglas Lima.
Askren, an Olympic wrestler who comes in with a 9-0 record, is humble about his abilities, telling an interviewer at the Detroit Free Press that he’s still a work in progress.
“Wrestling’s my background and I still use a bunch of unorthodox stuff. I picked up jiu-jitsu pretty well; I’m a brown belt in jiu-jitsu already. And I’m just working on my striking and working on being the best fighter I can be,” said Askren.
Nevertheless, the former Olympian carries elite-level wrestling credentials as a two-time NCAA champion and a four-time All-American. He is expected to utilise his base against the Brazilian Lima, who is himself on a nine-fight winning streak.
Lima won his last two fights by way of knockout and he hopes to do the same to Askren.
“I have thought about this fight a million times, over and over in my head,” Lima told Sherdog.com. “I think about everything. I think about me stopping his takedown and landing a big right hand and knocking him out.”
Askren for his part says he is well aware of the power in Lima’s hands but believes his superior cardio and wrestling will see him through to another victory.
In an interview with USA Today, Askren said: “[I’ve] got to stay in there tight with him. Don’t give him space. Take him down. Beat him up. Make him tired and do my thing.”
The main card also features the featherweight semi-final between Marlon Sandro and Alexandre Bezerra.
In his last outing at Bellator 60, Sandro made short work of Roberto Vargas, overwhelming him with strikes and then finishing him with a rear-naked choke.
His opponent tonight, in what promises to be an electrifying showdown, is also known for finishing fights. Bezerra has earned just one of his 13 career victories by decision and carries a perfect 5-0 record through his Bellator career thus far.
The rest of the main card features two Bantamweight matches: Travis Marx takes on Masakatsu Ueda and Rodrigo Lima takes on Hiroshi Nakamura.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com