Last Event Winner: Nolan Howell (7-3)
Yearly Standings:
Lucas Bourdon: 9-4 .692
Ben Kohn: 149-72 .674
Josh Hall: 35-21 .625
TC Engel: 87-53 .621
Luke Irwin: 236-151 .610
Earl Montclair: 111-72 .607
Nolan Howell: 166-109 .604
Naomi Kamornick: 6-5 .545
Dan Galvan: 5-6 .455
Light Heavyweight Bout: Stephan Bonnar (15-8) vs. Tito Ortiz (17-11-1)
Luke Irwin: Ugh. Main event, eh? Whatever. What I think will turn the tide here is Bonnar’s clinch game. Ortiz is god-awful in the clinch, and while Bonnar isn’t nearly Chuck Liddell in his prime doing Tito dirty, neither is Tito that Tito anymore. This fight could be an ugly, prodding, mess with two men who clearly should not be fighting, but I’m going to go out on a limb here. Bonnar via R3 TKO.
Ben Kohn: Why is this fight even happening? Both need to leave the cage and never come back. Ortiz should be able to outwrestle Bonnar to an awful decision. Ortiz by UD.
Bellator Lightweight Championship: Will Brooks (ic)(14-1) vs. Michael Chandler (12-2)
Luke Irwin: I’m definitely a Michael Chandler guy, but Will Brooks is legitimate and last fight wasn’t a fluke. Still, it’s hard to see Brooks beating Chandler twice in a row, and there are many that thought Chandler won the first contest (I had it a draw). Brooks put on just about the best fight he could against Chandler last time, but I don’t think it happens again. Chandler via R4 KO.
Ben Kohn: This fight is going to be incredible. I can’t wait to see it. Chandler by UD.
Light Heavyweight Bout: Joe Vedepo (17-8) vs. Muhammed Lawal (13-4)
Luke Irwin: Vedepo is a journeyman stepping in on short notice, so good for him for getting a payday, but he’s not on Mo’s level on the ground or anywhere near it and doesn’t have the power to Newton him. Lawal via R2 TKO.
Ben Kohn: *sigh* Lawal should be able to take down Vedepo at will but Mo is unpredictable with the whole getting beat by inferior fighters. Lawal by TKO round 3.
Middleweight Bout: Joe Schilling (1-3) vs. Melvin Manhoef (29-11-1)
Luke Irwin: GLORY INVADES BELLATOR! Obviously this fight is going to be loads of fun and nasty as all hell. The difference here is experience. If they were fighting in Glory, I’d take Schilling in a walk. But they’re not. Manhoef has 41 professional MMA fights under his belt, and it’s another world here. Manhoef knows how to work inside the six sides of a cage instead of a four-sided ring, how to balance his back against a fence, rather than ropes, what five-minute rounds feel like, and maybe most importantly, the difference in the size and weight of the gloves. Four ounces is a whole lot less than boxing gloves, and that means in a striking contest, the man with the heavier hands is going to score the KO…and ain’t many heavier hands on this planet than Melvin Manhoef. Manhoef via R2 KO.
Ben Kohn: Wow, this fight is going to be incredible for the 4 minutes it will last tops. The difference between these guys is their power and chins. Melvin is a glass cannon, he can dish without taking punishment. Schilling can take punches for days but is more volume, with plenty of power though dw. I can see Manhoef maybe taking him down if he’s smart but expect a standup war with Manhoef and that scares me immensely. Still gonna pick Manhoef to overwhelm Schilling and take him out in the first round. Manhoef by KO round 1.
Bantamweight Bout: Mike Richman (17-5) vs. Nam Phan (20-13)
Luke Irwin: This fight…I don’t even know, man. Nam Phan’s biggest attribute is his ability to get punched in the face. Mike Richman’s biggest attribute is his ability to punch people in the face. There are going to be 10-8s aplenty, if it even goes that far. I think Phan guts it out with a battered face like always. Richman via UD.
Ben Kohn: Richman is going to punch Nam Phan a lot and I’ll kind of enjoy it. It won’t be a fun fight, it’ll be a beating. Richman by TKO round 3.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
