Bellator 97 Predictions

Bellator 97 Predictions

July 25, 2013

By Ryan Porzl

Patricio Freire vs. Jared Downing

Nickname:                                           Pitbull          |      Demon Eyes

Height:                                                   5'5            |            5'5

Age:                                                        26             |       Unknown

MMA Record (Bellator Rec):          17-2 (5-2)    |        9-2 (2-0)

Arm Length:                                         65 in.          |        Unknown

Team:                                              Team Nogueira | Hard Drive MMA

Weight Class:                                     Featherweight (145 pounds)

Notes: Downing is replacing Rob Emerson. Downing's first fight in Bellator since Bellator 32 (October 14, 2010).

Preview: Freire is coming off a loss to Pat Curran by split decision at Bellator 85 (January 17, 2013). Downing is coming off a loss to Lance Palmer by split decision at RFA 8: Pettis vs. Pegg (June 21, 2013).

Predictions: Freire. This is a tune-up fight. No more, no less. Freire is an elite fighter with great knockout power and submission skills. So far in his career, he has only lost to the only two featherweight champions Bellator has had to date in Joe Warren and Pat Curran. It should also be pointed out that both of those fights ended in very close split decisions. Freire has also beaten his share of good fighters including Daniel Straus and former Taichi Palace Featherweight champion Georgi Karakhanyan. Downing is also an alternate and likely hasn't had enough time to get a full training camp. Put all this together and you got a case where even Downing and his team are betting on Freire.

Vitaly Minakov vs. Ryan Martinez

Nickname:                                         None              |         None

Height:                                               6'3½               |         5'11

Age:                                                     28                 |           25

MMA Record (Bellator Rec):       11-0 (2-0)         |      10-2 (3-1)

Arm Length:                                    Unknown           |         72 in.

Team:                                         Fight Nights Team   |    Infinite MMA

Weight Class:                                      Heavyweight (265 pounds)

Notes: Summer Series 2013 Heavyweight Tournament Finals

Preview: Minakov is undefeated with eleven wins. His recent win was over Ron Sparks by TKO at Bellator 96 (June 19, 2013). Martinez is riding a three fight win streak. His recent win was over Richard Hale by KO at Bellator 96 (June 19, 2013).

Predictions: Minakov. Minakov is a well-rounded beast. He's a three time world sambo champion, a former judo national champion, and he hits very hard. Out of his eleven wins, Minakov has finished six of them in less than a minute. Martinez is not to be underestimated as he defeated Hale with only two days notice and he hits like a truck. However, Martinez doesn't have the same grappling chops and ground game that Minakov has. If the striking doesn't work, Minakov could always take it down. Martinez has been training with Muhammed Lawal and Roy Nelson but that won't be enough as Minakov is not only decorated but also has years of experience that Martinez won't be able to prepare for. Minakov is also much bigger and if he gets Martinez to the ground then he could just smother him and make it difficult for the smaller Martinez to get back up.

Muhammed Lawal vs. Jacob Noe

Nickname:                                             King Mo           |   The Psycho

Height:                                                       6'0                |       6'2

Age:                                                            32                 |       32

MMA Record (Bellator Rec):            10-2, 1NC (2-1) | 12-2, 1NC (3-1)

Arm Length:                                              79 in.             |      75 in.

Team:                             American Kickboxing Academy | Memphis Judo and Jiu-Jitsu

Weight Class:                                         Light Heavyweight (205 pounds)

Notes: Summer Series 2013 Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals

Preview: Lawal is coming off a win over Seth Petruzelli by KO at Bellator 96 (June 19, 2013). Noe is coming off a win over Renato Sobral by TKO at Bellator 96 (June 19, 2013).

Predictions: Lawal. Noe is a talented fighter but Lawal is on a whole other level. While Noe has some good wins recently over the likes of Seth Petruzelli and Renato Sobral, Lawal doesn't have the same problems those two have. He's not one-dimensional like Petruzelli and Sobral. He's a more elite fighter than Petruzelli and he doesn't have as much mileage or as old as Sobral. Because of that, Lawal will have an easier time taken Noe to the ground if he wants to. Noe didn't have an easy time with Sobral standing up and Lawal has better boxing skills and knockout power. Most importantly, Lawal's biggest weakness has been ego and taken opponents lightly. However, Lawal sounds very focused in this fight and won't be showboating like he did with Feijao or Newton.

Ben Askren vs. Andrey Koreshkov

Nickname:                                      Funky         |          Spartan

Height:                                             5'10           |             6'0

Age:                                                   28            |              22

MMA Record (Bellator Rec):      11-0 (8-0)   |         13-0 (5-0)

Arm Length:                                    71 in.          |            74 in.

Team:                                            Roufusport    |  Rusfighter Sport Club

Weight Class:                                      Welterweight (170 pounds)

Notes: For the Bellator Welterweight Championship

Preview: Askren is undefeated with eleven wins. His recent win was over Karl Amoussou by TKO at Bellator 86 (January 24, 2013). Koreshkov is undefeated with thirteen wins. His recent win was over Lyman Good by unanimous decision at Bellator 82 (November 30, 2012).

Predictions: Askren. Koreshkov is like Nick Diaz. He's a very good fighter and has looked impressive in his fights but he doesn't have a lot of experience with wrestlers. Unfortunately for Koreshkov, he not only has to face a wrestler but an Olympic level wrestler. Askren is mostly a wrestler but no one has been able to figure out how to neutralize it and it's doubtful Koreshkov will be able to do given his lack of experience against great wrestlers. Askren has also proven in his recent fight with Amoussou that he is capable of finishing fights by leaving Karl Amoussou a mess which earned him a TKO due to doctor's stoppage. Askren has also be given interviews saying he wants to finish more fights as it's easier to finish instead of fighting for 25 minutes. If Askren comes in with the same mentality he did in his last fight then Koreshkov will have a real short night thanks to a ringside doctor saying he's had enough.

Michael Chandler vs. David Rickels

Nickname:                                           None              |     The Caveman

Height:                                                  5'8                 |          5'11

Age:                                                       27                 |           24

MMA Record (Bellator Rec):        11-0 (8-0)          |       14-1 (8-1)

Arm Length:                                         69 in.              |          74 in.

Team:                                               The Alliance         |    Janjira Muay Thai

Weight Class:                                             Lightweight (155 pounds)

Notes: For the Bellator Lightweight Championship

Preview: Chandler is undefeated with eleven wins. His recent win was over Rick Hawn by submission at Bellator 85 (January 17, 2013). Rickels is coming off a win over Saad Awad by TKO at Bellator 94 (March 28, 2013).

Predictions: Chandler. Rickels is a good fighter but not a great fighter. He's a skillful fighter but nothing that's elite. He's not an elite striker, he's not an elite grappler, he doesn't have explosive knockout power, and he doesn't have amazing submission skills. On the other hand, Chandler has proven to be a jack of all trades. He stood with Eddie Alvarez and even rocked him standing up and controlled Olympic judoka Rick Hawn on the ground before submitting him. Chandler is a former NCAA All American wrestler, can strike, and has great submission skills.