Bellator 123 will be in Connecticut on Friday for MMA action.
Featherweight champion Pat Curran puts his belt up for grabs against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in the main event of a five-fight main card. Curran and Pitbull fought once before back at…
Bellator 123 will be in Connecticut on Friday for MMA action.
Featherweight champion Pat Curran puts his belt up for grabs against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in the main event of a five-fight main card. Curran and Pitbull fought once before back at Bellator 85, where Curran took a narrow split-decision win.
Also on the card, Cheick Kongo battles Lavar Johnson, and King Mo Lawal takes on Dustin Jacoby. In addition, Bobby Lashley meets Josh Burns. It was originally a four-fight main card, but Bellator elevated Brennan Ward vs. Tamdan McCrory to the main card on Thursday.
Bleacher Report will have complete play-by-play of the main card for you at 8 p.m. ET on Friday evening.
Bellator has a new leader and direction. Fans will get a chance to see a little of it on Friday when the first post-Bjorn Rebney show takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Former Strikeforce head man Scott Coker is in now in …
Bellator has a new leader and direction. Fans will get a chance to see a little of it on Friday when the first post-Bjorn Rebney show takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Former Strikeforce head man Scott Coker is in now in charge of the brand, and he has big plans.
He told Steven Marrocco of MMA Junkie that the promotion will move to monthly events next year, and there is a buzz and excitement surrounding the once troubled company.
Coincidentally, Bellator 123 happens on the same day the UFC will be in The Constitution State.
UFC Fight Night 50 will be held in Mashantucket, so the promotions will battle head-to-head for the attention of local MMA fans.
That might sound like an easy win for the UFC, but this Bellator card is no joke. Aside from a potentially awesome rematch and featherweight title bout between Pat Curran and “The Pitbull” Patricio Freire, the card will also feature Cheick Kongo, “King Mo” MuhammedLawal and Bobby Lashley.
It’ll be one of the most star-studded cards the company has produced. Here’s a look at the scheduled fights, my predictions and viewing information. Just below the table is a closer look at the four biggest main card bouts.
Need a second, third, fourth and even fifth opinion? Check out what MMA Junkie’s staff said about the top four fights on the card.
Cheick Kongo Will Outsmart Lavar Johnson
Both Cheick Kongo and Lavar Johnson are big, strong veterans of the UFC, and both men have one-punch KO power.
While this could be a knock-down, drag-out affair, Kongo has traded in his mindless slugging nature for a more calculated approach of late. The 39-year-old can still drop bombs, but he takes his time more in recognition of his limited gas tank.
That’s something we’ve never seen Johnson do.
In almost every fight Johnson has lost, his lack of stamina has been the culprit. When stamina hasn’t gotten the best of him, his vulnerability to submissions has been his downfall.
Kongo isn’t a submissions specialist, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising to see him drop Johnson with a strike and lock in a basic submission like a rear-naked choke to finish off an already gassed opponent. That’s merely a hunch, but the definitive prediction is a first-round TKO for Kongo.
Bobby Lashley‘s Wrestling Skills Will Lead to Ground-and-Pound Win
Josh Burns is Bobby Lashley‘s opponent, and quite honestly, he isn’t much of a threat. Burns has lost four of his last five fights, and he’s extremely one-dimensional. He throws haymakers that he hopes find a home on his opponent’s face.
He’ll repeat this occurrence for about 90 seconds before he gets tired. Burns is likely being placed with Lashley to help the bigger name gain some momentum.
That’s unfortunate, but it should make for an exciting finish for Lashley.
The 38-year-old powerhouse should have no problem controlling Burns on the ground and pounding him out before the bell to end the first round.
King Mo Will Dominate Jacoby with his Wrestling and Strength
King Mo will beat former UFC and Glory fighter Dustin Jacoby to get back in the win column. Having lost two of his last three, including a disputed grudge match with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in May, Lawal needs a win in a big way.
Jacoby does present a tough challenge because he’s four inches taller than Lawal, and he possesses a strong kickboxing background. It’s clear from his comments to John Joe O’Regan of Sherdog that he plans to utilize those skills against Lawal.
Jacoby said:
After doing kickboxing and then watching all these MMA fights I have noticed that the leg kicks are wide open in MMA. That’s something I sort of already knew but never really felt it and saw it the way that I do now. The leg kicks are wide open and that set up the head kick in my last fight. I hit him with seven or eight hard low kicks, then faked a low kick and came up top with the head kick.
It would seem that a veteran like Lawal would be prepared for a heavy leg attack from Jacoby. Look for Lawal to counter the leg strikes with takedowns. Many forget that Lawal was a highly decorated collegiate wrestler. He’ll need to dust off those skills to take Jacoby out of his comfort zone.
Expect another ground-and-pound finish in this one.
Pat Curran Will Go 2-0 Against The Pitbull
The last time Curran and Freire met, the former emerged with a disputed split-decision victory. This time, Curran will leave less doubt. Initially, it seemed as if Curran was a little surprised by Pitbull‘s explosiveness in the first fight.
The champion was caught off guard by Freire‘s ability to close the four-inch height gap. In the second round, Curran established his jab and Freire never really solved the length issue in the final three rounds. In the rematch, we should expect more of the same.
Ever the cerebral fighter, Curran will simply pick up where the left off and control the mad dashes from Freire. The fight will still be competitive, but Curran will win an undisputed unanimous decision on more effective striking.
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The worlds of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts will collide on a major scale yet again when Bobby Lashley steps into the Bellator MMA cage on Friday. He walks into the heavyweight division as the current TNA World Heavyweight champion, but…
The worlds of professional wrestling and mixed martial arts will collide on a major scale yet again when Bobby Lashley steps into the BellatorMMA cage on Friday. He walks into the heavyweight division as the current TNA World Heavyweight champion, but that will not mean a thing to combat fans. Much of the fight-sports community may know of Lashley for his accolades in the world of choreographed fighting, but this run is an attempt to gain MMA fame at the same time.
The fighter known as “The Dominator” will bring a 10-2 record when he debuts during Bellator 123. Most fans and experts alike would pick Lashley‘s record apart for the lack of wins against viable competition in the sport. Victories over Wes Sims and Bob Sapp are perhaps his best wins to date. Unfortunately for Lashley, his two defeats have come to James Thompson and Chad Griggs; two fighters who could be considered “journeymen” in most mainstream circles. Still, that has not deterred the athlete from attempting to make another run in mixed martial arts.
“I want to swing for the fences and go after some of the bigger names,” Lashley told Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie. “This is my last run, so I don’t want to make it gradual. Some of these next few fights, there’s some guys I really want to get in the cage with.”
Bellator MMA is the right place for Lashley to attempt this push. Since bringing Scott Coker into the company as the new president, it’s clear that the company is looking to move more towards entertainment than the strict format that handcuffed the company. Match making will now favor a more creative approach with the intention of attracting the mainstream combat-sports fan.
“I think what we want to see is where our championship fights put star vs. star, so we’re going back to basics,” Coker said in a report by Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports. “We’re going to build the company with a strong foundation and move forward from there.”
Lashley is coming around at the perfect time for Bellator MMA to use him as a part of that foundation. The heavyweight division is one of the more prominent groups in combat sports. Bellator does not have a strong roster of heavyweights and Lashley can quickly find himself in position to challenge for their world title. He immediately has more star power than current heavyweight champion VitalyMinakov. When paired with the fact that he is the current TNA wrestling heavyweight champion, the cross promotional opportunities would be abundant. Even through outlets such as TMZ are reporting that Spike television is separating themselves from the TNA wrestling promotion, there is still value that can be pulled from his presence in Bellator‘s circle cage.
Lashley will also greatly benefit during this return if he can string together victories. His initial attempt to gain Brock Lesnar-like fame in the world of mixed martial arts did not go so well, but he still has enough name value to be worth Bellator‘s investment. However, he still needs to win and that fact makes his coming fight against Josh Burns just as important for Bellator MMA as it is for Lashley himself.
In the late 1990′s, when I was a wee lad (or, as the woman I love would so hilariously tell you, back when I was already an elderly man), I used to gather around the television on Monday nights. I am sure you already know where I am going with this. The late 1990′s were […]
In the late 1990′s, when I was a wee lad (or, as the woman I love would so hilariously tell you, back when I was already an elderly man), I used to gather around the television on Monday nights. I am sure you already know where I am going with this. The late 1990′s were […]
Unless you’ve been trapped in your basement savoring celebrity nudes for the past few days, you can’t ignore the UFC vs. Bellator showdown this Friday night. Both MMA organizations are going head-to-head, and to make the pot even sweeter, both events take place in the not-so-glorious state of Connecticut.
Are Dana White and Scott Coker both there to lobby for MMA regulation in nearby New York, or petition for the return of the Hartford Whalers? No.
Not since Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson’s match of “Who Can Run Faster, You or Me” has the sporting world been on the edge of their seats for something of this magnitude. But first, a brief rundown of what’s been happening in each promotion.
Let’s begin with Bellator, the little-brother league that used to hold tournaments not only for its fighters to earn title shots, but also to give champions 14-month periods of rest between fights. Viacom, the mega broadcast company that currently pulls the strings, recently axed Bjorn Rebney from his presidential post for being a “dickrider,” and brought former Strikeforce mastermind Scott Coker into the fold to run this promotion before it runs itself into the ground. I mean, who else brought you the demise of Fedor Emilianenko, premiere women’s MMA battles, Frank Shamrock getting his arms broken by kicks, a post-fight brawl involving Californian gangs, and Gus “Call of the Century” Johnson?
As for the UFC, the promotion started out as an addictive source of violence after two casino heirs-turned-bodybuilders used their papa’s money to hire King Kong Bundy in a dress, and revolutionized the sport of MMA. Nowadays, UFC head honcho (and the sole reason why MMA exists) Dana White, has turned on the fans, media, and even fighters because nobody is watching the 2,034 shows his company puts on a year. Basically, it’s your fault that the UFC is watered down, and if you don’t like it, don’t watch it, but keep in mind, you’re a piece of trash for not watching and supporting fighters who are away from their families for six weeks. And fuck the media for telling you otherwise, because if they’re not with UFC, they have no business writing editorials or opinion columns that their employers pay them for.
So here we are on the eve of UFC Fight Night 50 (which really feels like 250) and Bellator 123 (which feels like 123, considering we have no idea what happened from 1 to 81). You have to pick one, and this writer is going to pretend that dual television sets, DVR, or sketchy Internet streams don’t exist. Which one is it going to be?
You bet your ass we’re watching Bellator…well, at least I am.
Unless you’ve been trapped in your basement savoring celebrity nudes for the past few days, you can’t ignore the UFC vs. Bellator showdown this Friday night. Both MMA organizations are going head-to-head, and to make the pot even sweeter, both events take place in the not-so-glorious state of Connecticut.
Are Dana White and Scott Coker both there to lobby for MMA regulation in nearby New York, or petition for the return of the Hartford Whalers? No.
Not since Donovan Bailey and Michael Johnson’s match of “Who Can Run Faster, You or Me” has the sporting world been on the edge of their seats for something of this magnitude. But first, a brief rundown of what’s been happening in each promotion.
Let’s begin with Bellator, the little-brother league that used to hold tournaments not only for its fighters to earn title shots, but also to give champions 14-month periods of rest between fights. Viacom, the mega broadcast company that currently pulls the strings, recently axed Bjorn Rebney from his presidential post for being a “dickrider,” and brought former Strikeforce mastermind Scott Coker into the fold to run this promotion before it runs itself into the ground. I mean, who else brought you the demise of Fedor Emilianenko, premiere women’s MMA battles, Frank Shamrock getting his arms broken by kicks, a post-fight brawl involving Californian gangs, and Gus “Call of the Century” Johnson?
As for the UFC, the promotion started out as an addictive source of violence after two casino heirs-turned-bodybuilders used their papa’s money to hire King Kong Bundy in a dress, and revolutionized the sport of MMA. Nowadays, UFC head honcho (and the sole reason why MMA exists) Dana White, has turned on the fans, media, and even fighters because nobody is watching the 2,034 shows his company puts on a year. Basically, it’s your fault that the UFC is watered down, and if you don’t like it, don’t watch it, but keep in mind, you’re a piece of trash for not watching and supporting fighters who are away from their families for six weeks. And fuck the media for telling you otherwise, because if they’re not with UFC, they have no business writing editorials or opinion columns that their employers pay them for.
So here we are on the eve of UFC Fight Night 50 (which really feels like 250) and Bellator 123 (which feels like 123, considering we have no idea what happened from 1 to 81). You have to pick one, and this writer is going to pretend that dual television sets, DVR, or sketchy Internet streams don’t exist. Which one is it going to be?
You bet your ass we’re watching Bellator…well, at least I am.
You see, Bellator doesn’t really force me to watch its show; the broadcast is just there. After watching a Spike TV schedule of seven hours and realizing you’ve only seen three shows called Cops, Jail, and World’s Wildest Police Videos, it’s refreshing to see two guys who used to be really good fighters engage in a fight that if were food, would be the sloppiest of Joes. They even put on glorious title fights now and then.
On the other channel (which shows a high volume of Nascar and other crap) you’ve got the legendary Gegard Mousasi against Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza battle in a middleweight rematch for the ages. You also have Alistair Overeem potentially ruining a man’s kidney or falling straight to hell after a tap to the chin, Matt Mitrione getting his brain shattered by THE BLACK BEAST, Call of Duty veteran Joe Lauzon going to war, and a bunch of preliminary fights that start right after your morning coffee.
Belltor’s counter-programming effort (because Lord knows THEY should be blamed for this coincidental booking) is another rematch involving Pat Curran vs. Patricio Pitbull for the featherweight title, “The Cheick Kongo Nut Shot” drinking game, the return of the sport’s only royalist, “King Mo,” and a TNA World Heavyweight Championship match featuring Bobby Lashley vs. ‘Merican Samoa Joe.
Look, man…I don’t know about you, but that’s far more tempting than hearing two blokes and a football panel go at it for four hours with an hour of scraps in between. UFC has become the brand Kurt Cobain couldn’t stand, or more so, Metallica after …And Justice For All. Inviting friends over to watch a UFC card basically turns into a sleepover an hour and a half in, shutting your eyes after you reminisce about the high school girls you’re contemplating liking on Tinder. It’s too freaking long, boring, and more importantly, you’re doing them a service by tuning in. In the end, all you get for it is backlash because you aren’t a real fight fan if you didn’t particularly enjoy what you just saw.
With Bellator, I know for a fact it’s going to be a total shit show; they go live from places I’d only stop for Burger King while on tour with my off-kilter punk-folk three-piece band, and truthfully, I have no idea what the process is to attend these fights. That’s what makes it so fun. It’s mysterious, and so goddamn trashy you’ll never stop loving it. Seriously, do the partisans even know where they are?
Also, they don’t bombard me with hours of programming that is deemed necessary viewing while I would love nothing more than to spend my evening in pajamas listening to my wife berate me while on the phone with her friend for two hours. Also, they’re not secretly trying to tell me that Tony Ferguson and Danny Castillo move the needle.
If we’re going to do our part to put an end to these slimy corporations stealing the sport we love, we have to fight for our cause. Do your part. We can’t change the world in a day, but eventually, we could rebuild Rome, where organized combat could or could not have first started.
UFC doesn’t care about you more than they do money. And if you’re not making them money — even if it’s a free card — then you’re not on board with the machine. How many UFC events have you watched on Fart Fight Pass wondering who in the hell was fighting? Do these motherfuckers care about mixed martial arts? They care about the growth of their own, and it’s happening at your own expense. If you seriously paid for UFC 177, close your computer, take a walk outside, and sit down in a park for three hours (minimum) to ask yourself what you want to do with your life.
Bellator doesn’t really give a nickel if you watch or not; it’s simply there. And if you’re on board, they’ll tell you it’s the greatest show on earth. The difference is, they say it followed by a smirk, and a big-ass swig of black label.
“King Mo” Lawal’s run of unfortunate outcomes has continued its pace for nearly four years. Even though he’s found victory multiple times during that period, his career has not experienced the “boom” that was once expected. Now,…
“King Mo” Lawal‘s run of unfortunate outcomes has continued its pace for nearly four years. Even though he’s found victory multiple times during that period, his career has not experienced the “boom” that was once expected. Now, after serious injuries, being fired from the UFC and a stunning knockout defeat, MuhammedLawal is at a career crossroads coming into Bellator 123. Dustin Jacoby will be the individual standing across from him and he has the potential to send the former champion’s career into a complete downward spiral.
If “King Mo” could step into a time machine, 2010 would perhaps be his first destination. This was the year when everything was going great for the Las Vegas native. Although things would not end well later on in that calendar, he would win the Strikeforce title from GegardMousasi in April of 2010. To this date, this is still the biggest win of his career. Since that point Lawal has not had the easiest of times being the high-level mixed martial artist that many pundits thought he would become. In fact, his career has been quite the letdown.
First, it was the TKO defeat to Rafael Cavalcante where he would lose his only moment of holding a mainstream title. After a win over Roger Gracie he would be forced out of competition due to a knee injury, which would become a recurring issue in his career. In 2012 he would then defeat Lorenz Larkin just to have the win overturned because the Nevada State Athletic Commission would find Drostanolone in his drug-test results, as reported by Ken Pishna and Erik Fontanez of MMA Weekly.
Things would only get worse for the former champion. The UFC would purchase Strikeforce, which would give them access to Lawal fighting in the Octagon, however he would never have the chance to perform for the organization. After his hearing in front of the NSAC he made inflammatory statements towards NSAC Commissioner Pat Lundvall on his Twitter profile (via MMA Mania). That comment would result in his jettison from the organization as a whole as they would not stand by and allow him to make such statements.
Lawal did not stay a free agent for long as Bellator would pick him up and give him an opportunity to become a professional wrestler in TNA Wrestling while competing in in their MMA promotion. The way he was announced into the organization made it seem like the company was expecting him to become a major star. Unfortunately for all the parties involved, that would not occur.
In his second fight for the promotion, “King Mo” would face Emanuel Newton. In the first round of the contest he would eat a spinning back fist that would make Lawal the victim of one of the most played knockouts of 2013. Lawal would come back and win two straight just to be defeated by Newton again; this time in an even more convincing fashion.
Bellator MMA would get another opportunity to feature Lawal dead center as he would face Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at Bellator 120. Lawal would suffer a decision defeat but what was worse is that many felt he actually won the bout with his wrestling attack. This would be yet another setback for Lawal that would leave him looking like the odd man out in the pecking order within the company.
Lawal has a winning record with Bellator MMA at 4-3 but he’s yet to defeat any opponent of value. His inability to win the big contests has placed a damper on the outlook of his career. This is where Jacoby enters the picture. At 10-3 Jacoby can actually be called a “UFC Veteran” even though he’s suffered two defeats in the promotion. According to MMA Oddsbreaker, Jacoby will come into the event a +400 underdog to Lawal‘s -600 favorite. Just as the numbers represent, Lawal has everything to lose in this fight.
If Jacoby can pull off the upset victory, which he is capable of doing, “King Mo’s” career would be in jeopardy. As Scott Coker leads Bellator into reshaping itself as a MMA promotion, Lawal‘s value to the organization would be damaged with another defeat. He would also place himself to be cut from the organization if he can’t live up to the standards that were placed on him when signed. To make the matters worse, he would have a difficult time rejoining the professional wrestling world as well. According to TMZ, Spike TV recently canceled TNA Wrestling which means they may not be interested in bringing back their high-price “star.” If he were to lose his slot on the Bellator roster, his opportunities in MMA on the mainstream level would be drastically low.
Injuries, controversy and disappointing performances have plagued MuhammedLawal‘s career. The former Strikeforce champion is facing a major uphill climb that begins at Bellator 123. The world of professional sports is a fickle place that can turn on an individual with one good or bad performance. If Lawal goes out and earns a win in a drastic, highlight-reel fashion, then he will be on his way to earning the love once again of the MMA community. If not, this may be his last time performing in a mainstream mixed martial arts promotion.
