Two of the best young stars on the Bellator roster are in action on Friday night from the Bren Events Center in Irvine, California. Lightweight champion “Ill” Will Brooks will defend his title against Dave Jansen. Also on the card is super impressive submissions artist Marcin Held. The lightweight contender could be next in line for a title shot at 155 pounds if he can beat Alexander Sarnavskiy.
Take a look at the hype video tweeted by Bellator president Scott Coker.
Here’s how you can watch the show, as well as a look at the main card with predictions. Just below the table is a closer look at the top three fights on the card.
Held Will Again Exhibit His Ground Game
Whether we’re talking about Bellator or the UFC, Held is one of the best young submissions fighters in the world. Bellator officials know they have something special in the 23-year-old from Poland. The promotion is marketing Held’s bout against Sarnavskiy alongside the Brooks-Jansen and Joe Schilling-Rafael Carvalho bouts.
Despite how young Held is, he has been fighting in Bellator since 2011, when he lost to former champion Michael Chandler. Held was just 19 years old then and clearly not mature enough to beat an elite fighter. Since that defeat, he’s 10-1, with six wins coming by way of submission.
Sarnavskiy is also an accomplished submissions fighter. He has forced 18 former foes to tap out, so he has his own set of impressive credentials on the mat. That said, Sarnavskiy doesn’t possess the diversity that Held has as a submission fighter.
Held’s opponents know that he wants to grapple and submit them, yet they can’t escape his grasp. Held has improved so much since his last defeat to Jansen in 2013. Look for him to notch another impressive submission win to move one step closer to a title shot.
Carvalho Will Stop Schilling
Joe “Stitch ‘Em Up” Schilling is one of the most overrated mixed martial artists in Bellator. He’s being marketed as a stud, but he has a record of 2-3. He scored a highlight-reel KO over an old and defenseless Melvin Manhoef in November 2014, and that has sparked Schilling’s notoriety.
For as exciting as Manhoef can be, he’s also one of the worst defensive fighters in history. To put it plainly, Schilling hasn’t beaten anyone. His bout with Rafael Carvalho is positioned where it is on the card because it has the probability to end in an exciting KO.
Schilling earned his reputation with the KO stoppage of Manhoef, but Carvalho has a ton of power himself. All but one of his 10 wins has come by KO or stoppage. A knockout would be exciting, but taking the fight to the ground would put Carvalho in the best spot to win.
Even though he hasn’t shown much of a ground game in his career, it would behoove Carvalho to show another layer on Friday.
Something tells me if he can secure a takedown against Schilling, he’ll dominate him from there. Schilling’s background is as a kickboxer and boxer. The three losses in his career have all come from a submission. Translation: He has no clue what to do on the ground.
Carvalho probably isn’t going to go for a submission, but he will likely pound Schilling out for the TKO win.
And Still…
Per Brooks’ Twitter account, he was ready to take on Jansen a week before the bout is scheduled to take place.
The champion’s athleticism and explosiveness create a real dilemma for all of his opponents.
His striking is improving, but his best skill is still his dominant wrestling game. Few lightweights can match Brooks’ strength and technique when it comes to grappling.
That said, Jansen is no pushover. He’s a perfect 7-0 in Bellator, and he’s earned a chance to fight for the title. However, he’ll have to be content with the experience, as Brooks’ speed and defense are going to befuddle him.
Hansen deserves credit for compiling his current run with Bellator, but on Friday he’ll be outworked and out-grappled. Brooks will retain his title with a lopsided unanimous-decision win.
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