Rosenthal League:
Nolan Howell: 3-1, .750
Chris Groves: 10-5, .667
Christian Diaz: 8-4, .667
Daniel Galvan: 7-5, .583
Josh Hall: 6-6, .500
Winslow League:
TC Engel: 7-9, .438
Tim Hickey: 4-8, .333
Luke Irwin: 5-11, .313
Connor Dillon: 3-8, .273
-After a Fuel card which crushed most people, TC, Tim, Luke, and Connor are relegated to the awful Winslow (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!) League to try and battle their way out. Nolan still sits atop the rankings for the time being.
Featherweight Tournament Final: Rad Martinez (14-2) vs. Shahbulat Shamhalaev (11-1-1)
Luke Irwin: Damn, am I pulling for Martinez. He’s taken out Nazareno and Wagnney, and I want to think this fairy-tale run keeps going. Does he have anything for Curran for the title? No, no he doesn’t. But I’m feeling one more win for Rad. Martinez via UD.
Connor Dillon: So it’s a massive Russian Sambo champ versus the perpetual life’s underdog. Personally, I feel for Martinez, but I think he’s run is going to end tonight against Mr. Unpronounceable’s power. Shamhalaev by decision.
Daniel Galvan: The takedown defense of Shahbulat Shamlaev is going to decide this fight. On his feet, the Russian should be able to land with his punishing power and deceptive speed, but on the canvas, Rad Martinez will be able to implore his will with his ground and pound. It’s one of the toughest bouts to call in this season, but I believe Shamhalaev will be able to ward of Martinez’s takedowns and win the scrambles. Shamhalaev via 1st KO.
Tim Hickey: Rad Martinez is an inspirational story who despite not training full time (in order to take care of his ailing father) he has still managed to make the Bellator FW final. Shamhalaev has light switching power and will be looking to land early and often. I think the further the fight goes, the more of a detriment it will be for Martinez. Shamhalaev via UD.
Light Heavyweight Tournament Bout: Emanuel Newton (19-7-1) vs. Muhammed Lawal (9-1)
Luke Irwin: You know what this reminds me of? Rampage Jackson’s UFC debut against Marvin Eastman. They found a Rampage-lite and put him in the cage with him. King Mo has already fought in Bellator, but as far as matchmaking goes, they’ve paired him with Newton, who is, for lack of a better term, a mini-Mo. He’s a Junior Varsity Mo, and Mo will make an impact, but Newton is tough enough to take it the distance. Lawal by UD.
Connor Dillon: Okay, I don’t like Lawal that much. From his racist bitch comments to calling out a journalist’s family because of a comment on tactics, he’s just a complete douche. Newton on the other hand, just seems like another hard worker. But, Lawal has vastly better stand-up and a great wrestling game. Lawal by TKO.
Daniel Galvan: Emanuel Newton is one of my favorite unsexy but gets the job done picks. He’s an underrated fighter that wins fights with his clinch game and effective boxing. Even though I would love to be that asshole that brags about picking a major upset, I can’t pull the trigger on this one. Aside from maybe the BJJ facet, King Mo is the better fighter in all areas of the MMA game. Lawal via 1st TKO.
Tim Hickey: Newton has a solid submission game (with 8 of his 19 wins via submission) but has traditionally struggled when taking a step up in his competition. King Mo is the golden goose for Bellator right now, after Babalu Sobral showed us last time that his career is basically over. I think Mo keeps this fight on the feet and gets another finish. King Mo via TKO Rd 2.
Welterweight Tournament Bout: Bryan Baker (18-4) vs. Douglas Lima (23-5)
Luke Irwin: “THERE WAS A FIREFIIIIIIGGGHHHHTTT!!!” Holy hell will this fight get nasty. After two brutal rounds, Baker finally lands the final blow needed to wrap this up. This fight will rule. Baker R3 TKO.
Connor Dillon: This one will be fun! Baker is coming into this with a loss against one of the more dangerous Bellator welterweight fighters. Unless Baker is able to get it to the ground and lock up a submission or just grind Lima down like Askren (which I highly doubt), Lima is gonna win with his superior striking. Lima by decision.
Daniel Galvan: Bryan Baker can steal a win over Douglas Lima with his wrestling, but I doubt that he’ll be able to keep Lima on his back or against the cage for too long. Look for Douglas Lima to showcase his impressive stand-up game en route to a decision. Lima via UD.
Tim Hickey: Lima has possibly the best punching power in Bellator’s WW division. Out of his six fights in Bellator, he has ended 4 via KO. I think that he adds to that total tonight Lima via TKO Rd3.
Light Heavyweight Tournament Bout: Jacob Noe (11-1) vs. Mikhail Zayats (20-6)
Luke Irwin: Dang, does Bellator love them some Russians? If you compare strength of schedule, it’s really not close. Zayats just piut away Babalu filthily. He does the same to Noe. Zayats R1 TKO.
Connor Dillon: This one will be interesting. Noe beat Seth Petruzelli, the man who ended the MMA Charade that was Kimbo Slice, but Zayats knocked out what I believe was the 2nd highest pick of the entire LHW tournament, Babalu Sobral. If it goes past the first round, I expect huffing and puffing, and a split decision that could go either way. If it ends in the first round, I’m favoring Zayats, because that’s a badass last name. Zayats by TKO.
Daniel Galvan: Mikhail Zayats possesses all of the tools to put away Jacob Noe. His above average takedown defense should keep the fight on the feet where Zayats should be king. I fully expect Zayats to be competing against King Mo for the Bellator Light Heavyweight Championship with two Bellator knockouts under his belt. Zayats via 1st KO.
Tim Hickey: Zayats is coming off a big upset of the corpse of Babalu Sobral, showing us a very Shonie Carter-esque spinning backfist. He has also finished 5 of his last 6 opponents. Noe is coming into this fight having finished his last 7 opponents. Should be an excellent fight to open the card. Noe via 2nd Rd sub.
Welterweight Tournament Bout: Ben Saunders (15-5) vs. Raul Amaya (11-1)
Luke Irwin: Oh, this gon’ end bad, homie. Saunders R2 TKO.
Connor Dillon: Holy knees of death, Batman! I don’t care what has happened before, Saunders is gonna win. No ifs, ands, or buts. Saunders by murderdeathkill.
Middleweight Bout: Joe Rodriguez (1-0) vs. Lionel Lanham (4-1)
Connor Dillon: Oh boy. Lanham’s only loss was by TKO (with Winslow as the referee, that could’ve been a death sentence), and all his victories come in similar fashion. Rodriguez is apparently making his pro-debut, so I’m gonna go with Lanham on this one. Lanham by TKO.
Luke Irwin: The one thing you can count on for Bellator’s undercard fights are that they’re freaking awesome. I’m going to go Lanham SD after a battle.
Welterweight Bout: Dave Allred (11-4) vs. Sean Powers (6-3)
Connor Dillon: I feel like Powers isn’t gonna make this easy, but he’ll still lose and continue his brown streak. Allred by decision.
Luke Irwin: Both of these guys love their submissions, the difference is that Powers is susceptible to strikes. So, I think Allred lands enough to take a decision, but doesn’t stop him. Allred via UD.
Welterweight Bout: Jesse Juarez (18-8) vs. Jordan Smith (17-4)
Connor Dillon: So all of Smith’s losses have came from semi-approvable opponents, but finished many of his victories with submissions. Juarez has lost a lot via submission, but hasn’t faltered against many of the higher-tiered opponents he’s faced. Juarez by TKO.
Luke Irwin: Smith has an exceptionally weird resume, but Juarez is a no-nonsense dude. This fight will be interesting, but I think Juarez will take Smith down early and often and grind his way to a 30-27. Juarez via UD.
Bantamweight Bout: Chase Beebe (22-8) vs. Travis Marx (19-4)
Connor Dillon: I’m sorry, his nickname is “T-Train”? Fuck him. Beebe by submission.
Luke Irwin: The Beebes are fascinating. Bellator sure loves to throw them on undercards. They should be up there with the Millers, Diazes, Lauzons, Nogueiras, etc…, but for some shitty luck, they’re not. That ends here. It’s time Chase and Carson get on the main stage. Beebe via Submission.
Featherweight Bout: Josh Tyler (4-1) vs. Shanon Slack (5-1)
Connor Dillon: I think it’s too soon to see what Tyler can do. I think Slack takes this one using his slightly greater experience on the big show. Slack by decision.
Luke Irwin: Classic wrestler vs. Submission grappler. Slack is a Bellator veteran and will be able to keep Tyler at bay for a 29-28. Slack UD.
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