Tag: Bellator

Daniel Straus wants his Bellator featherweight title back, but he’ll have to go through Justin Wilcox to earn another shot. The two men meet in the headline bout of the Bellator 127 card from Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.

If Straus gets an opportunity to regain his title, it won’t be versus the man who took the belt away from him. Back in March, Straus lost a rematch against Pat Curran via submission.

Curran subsequently lost the title to Patricio Freire last month. Bellator 145-pounders are seemingly playing hot potato with the belt, and Straus would love a chance to hold the belt next.

Per Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, Straus said, “I’m ready to get back to work. I love to stay active, fight as much as I can, and now I have the opportunity to get back on the road to getting my title shot.”

Can Straus get back on track against Wilcox? Here’s how you can watch.

 

When: Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. ET on Spike.com for prelims, 9 p.m. ET on Spike for main card

Where: Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California.

TV: Spike

Live Stream: Spike.com

 

Here’s a look at the complete card and predictions. Just beneath the table is a closer look at the top bouts on Friday night’s card.

 

Karo Parisyan vs. Fernando Gonzalez

Parisyan is a former UFC veteran who has been in with some of the best fighters of the era, including Georges St-Pierre, Nick Diaz, Matt Serra, Diego Sanchez and others. 

He is primarily known for his submission skills, as evidenced by his 10 wins via tapout, but he has recently shown the ability to finish fights with his hands.

His last two wins have come via TKO. 

Against Gonzalez, Parisyan will have to be careful during exchanges. Gonzalez is the stronger striker of the two. He’s finished eight bouts via strikes and could put Parisyan‘s lights out if he has the opportunity.

Parisyan is undoubtedly aware of this, and despite the fact that Gonzalez doesn’t have a big name, he won’t be taken lightly. 

Look for a sharp Parisyan to look to take the fight to the ground where he is the more skilled fighter. He should capture his 11th win by submission as he wears down Gonzalez.

 

Daniel Straus vs. Justin Wilcox

As pure athleticism goes, not many featherweights have the gifts Straus possesses. He’s not an immensely powerful striker or extraordinarily strong grappler on the mat, but he’s sound in most areas. He transitions from strikes to grappling very well, and his takedowns can be powerful.

Some might see him as a poor man’s Benson Henderson. Straus just understands how to win rounds. Before losing to Curran in his last outing, Straus had won six straight, and all but one of those fights went the distance.

Straus says he will finish Wilcox, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Wilcox is a battler who is difficult to knockout even for powerful strikers. He is not an opponent who will likely be defeated by a Straus stoppage. Instead, it’s much more likely than Straus uses his quickness and technical striking to get the best of Wilcox en route to a unanimous-decision victory.

 

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Fresh off a humbling loss in a catchweight bout against light heavyweight MMA legend Tito Ortiz, Bellator middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko is back to take on a guy his own size.

On Friday, he defends the title against undefeated Brandon “Bull” Halsey in the main event of Bellator 126 from Grand Canyon University Arena in Phoenix, Arizona.

On the undercard, Patricky “Pitbull” Friere will take on Marcin Held in the finale of the lightweight tournament. Thiago Meller faces Bubba Jenkins in a featherweight feature bout, and Mike Richman takes on Ed West.

Here’s a look at the complete card with viewing info and predictions for each fight. Just below the table is a closer look at the top three fights on the card.

 

Bubba Jenkins Will Overwhelm Thiago Meller

Meller is a well-trained submissions fighter, but he appears to have problems against aggressive and athletic opponents. When he lost to Anton Kuivanen back in 2011 when both were fighting for Cage, Meller didn’t handle his opponent’s aggression well.

He spent more time retreating and scrambling than trying to mount any offense. Meller avoided being stopped but still lost a clear unanimous decision.

Against Jenkins, he won’t go the distance. As a wrestler, Jenkins is top-notch. He also has speed, power and quick-twitch explosiveness to close distance quickly.

He’ll gain top position against Meller and pound him out for the TKO win.

 

Marcin Held Will Score Statement-Making Submission Win over Pitbull

Friere is one of the most exciting and dangerous fighters in Bellator, but he’s about to go up against a truly gifted submissions specialist.

Held knows his game well, and he’s extremely cerebral. 

His striking is good enough to defend himself and offer a little offense, but it’s really just used to set up the takedown. Friere is explosive, but it’s only a matter of time before he runs into a collision that leads to a trip to the mat.

Once there, Held has a seemingly endless supply of submission finishes at his disposal. Aside from Joe Lauzon and perhaps Demian Maia, you won’t find a fighter who transitions from submission to submission like Held.

He’ll make Pitbull tap out, and everyone in the MMA world take notice.

 

Shlemenko Will Get Back to His Winning Ways

To put it plain, Ortiz was too big for Shlemenko. Challenging the MMA legend was a bit of a no-lose situation for Shlemenko, and it helped the company.

Shlemenko is still considered the top middleweight, but the loss helped to put Ortiz over with some level of legitimacy. What is this, TNA?

In any case, Shlemenko will have a formidable opponent in front of him in Halsey. The challenger is a big and strong middleweight. He looks for the takedown and submission in many of his matches.

Most recently, he relentlessly pursued an armbar finish against Brett Cooper at Bellator 122. Late in the first round, Halsey finally flattened Cooper out to get the tapout.

Against Shlemenko, matters will be tougher. The champion has excellent striking evidenced by his 29 KO wins, and his own submission skills are nothing to sneeze at. Shlemenko has won eight bouts by tap out, but this one will be decided with his hands and knees.

Expect a knee to the body or head to start the damage, and Shlemenko will finish matters via ground-and-pound. Not everyone agrees.

Halsey is definitely no pushover, and with Melvin Manhoef waiting in the wings for the winner, it’s an exciting time for the Bellator middleweight division and the company as a whole.

 

Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com