Bellator 109 Predictions

                                                    

Bellator 109 Predictions

November 19, 2013

By Ryan Porzl

Terry Etim vs. Patrick Cenoble

Nickname:                                             None     |         Lights Out

Height:                                                     6'1       |              6'0

Age:                                                          27       |               24

MMA Record (BMMA):                 15-5 (0-0)  |       9-2-1 (0-0-1)

Arm Length:                                          73 in.     |          Unknown

Team:                                            Team Kaobon | Tiger's World of Mixed Martial Arts

Weight Class:                                       Lightweight (155 pounds)

Notes: Etim's Bellator debut

Preview: Etim is riding a two fight losing streak. His recent loss was to Renee Forte by unanimous decision at UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald (February 16, 2013). Cenoble is coming off a draw to Tony Fryklund at Bellator 94 (March 28, 2013).

Predictions: Etim. I'll admit, I don't know about either guy that well except this is a striker vs. grappler fight. Etim can probably pull off the win because it's doubtful Cenoble has faced a grappler like Etim. Cenoble has never been submitted but he's never fought a guy with twelve submission wins like Etim. Etim also has a very good chin as his only knockout loss was the now famous Edson Barboza spin kick.

Matt Riddle vs. Nathan Coy

Nickname:                                        Deep Waters   |      Soulforce

Height:                                                    6'1            |          5'11

Age:                                                         27             |          35

MMA Record (BMMA):              7-3, 2 NC (0-0) |     13-4 (1-0)

Arm Length:                                            76 in.         |     Unknown

Team:                             Throwdown Training Center | American Top Team

Weight Class:                                        Bantamweight (135 pounds)

Notes: Riddle's Bellator debut. Riddle's first fight outside the UFC.

Preview: Riddle is coming off a no contest to Che Mills at UFC on Fuel TV: Barao vs. McDonald (February 16, 2013). Coy is riding a five fight win streak. His recent win was over Andy Ulrich by unanimous decision at Bellator 101 (September 27, 2013).

Predictions: Coy. I don't even know if this fight is even happening since Coy claims Riddle pulled out but Bellator still has it on their website so I'll include it. Anyway, Coy has a lot going for him. He's a very good wrestler and a former All-American so he could potentially grind out a decision. Riddle is also a head case. He's talented but he doesn't always listen to his coaches and sometimes does stuff that's stupid. Riddle is a good wrestler and very big but he might not be as decorated as Coy.

Rick Hawn vs. Ron Keslar

Nickname:                                            Genghis       |       None

Height:                                                     5'9           |         6'0

Age:                                                          37            |         33

MMA Record (BMMA):                   17-2 (9-2)    |   11-3 (2-0)

Arm Length:                                         Unknown     |       74 in.

Team:                                                  Tristar Gym   | American Kickboxing Academy

Weight Class:                                          Welterweight (170 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Season Nine Welterweight Tournament Finals.

Preview: Hawn is riding a three fight win streak. His recent win was over Brent Weedman by unanimous decision at Bellator 104 (October 18, 2013). Keslar is riding a six fight win streak. His recent win was over War Machine by technical submission at Bellator 104 (October 18, 2013).

Predictions: Hawn. Like his AKA teammate Justin Wilcox, Keslar is a replacement who surprised many by making it to the finals. But like Wilcox, Keslar is going to be knocked back down to Earth. Keslar doesn't have much for Hawn. Hawn has an excellent chin and has never been knocked out in his career all the while he hits extremely hard. At the same time, Keslar doesn't have knockout power. Keslar is mostly a wrestler who wins by submission but Hawn has Olympic level judo, good takedown defense, and submission defense. His only submission loss was to Michael Chandler but Keslar isn't Chandler. Hawn's pretty good with his jab and keeping his opponent at bay which can make it more difficult for Keslar to take Hawn down.

Will Brooks vs. Alexander Sarnavskiy

Nickname:                                     Ill Will       |                 Tiger

Height:                                             5'10        |                 5'11

Age:                                                   27         |                   24

MMA Record (BMMA):           12-1 (4-1)   |             25-1 (4-1)

Arm Length:                                    71 in.       |                 71 in.

Team:                              American Top Team |    RusFighters Sport Club

Weight Class:                                      Lightweight (155 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Season Nine Lightweight Tournament Finals

Preview: Brooks is riding a three fight win streak. His recent win was over Saad Awad by unanimous decision at Bellator 105 (October 25, 2013). Sarnavskiy is riding a five fight win streak. His recent win was over Ricardo Tirloni by submission at Bellator 105 (October 25, 2013).

Predictions: Brooks. Brooks has a lot going for him. He's a good athlete with good wrestling and knockout power. He also pretty good at grinding opponents if he needs to. After suffering his first loss earlier this year, Brooks also seems more focused. He's since relocated to Florida to train at ATT full-time and he claims since the loss he's more focused as he takes it one fight at a time. Brooks also can cut fighters with his elbows. Sarnavskiy likes to use submissions but Brooks is pretty good with defense and even when he's caught in a submission, he's still tough to submit. In his recent fight, Awad caught him in a triangle and he was still able to hold on for the last fifteen seconds of the round.

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Doug Marshall

Nickname:                                         Storm                  |        The Rhino

Height:                                                 5'11                   |           5'10

Age:                                                       29                    |             36

MMA Record (BMMA):               48-7 (9-1)              |       18-6 (4-0)

Arm Length:                                        71 in.                  |           69 in.

Team:                                         RusFighters Sport Club |  Elite Team Martial Arts

Weight Class:                                           Middleweight (185 pounds)

Notes: For the Bellator Middleweight Championship

Preview: Shlemenko is riding an eleven fight win streak. His recent win was over Brett Cooper by unanimous decision at Bellator 98 (September 7, 2013). Marshall is riding a four fight win streak. His recent win was over Brett Cooper by KO at Bellator 95 (April 4, 2013).

Predictions: Shlemenko. The first thing is that both guys are strikers who look to knock their opponents out. Shlemenko is the more unpredictable as he strikes from different angles and goes to the body. Marshall is predictable as he tries to knock his opponents out with his right hand. Shlemenko should know what to expect and what to avoid. Shlemenko also has a very good chin. In over 50 fights, he has only been knocked out once. He got rocked in his recent fight but was able to recover. Marshall has been knocked out five times including a 34 second knockout loss against Zelg Galesic in Super Fight League only a year ago. Finally, Marshall broke his hand two times this year. It's unknown if he'll go all out since he could be afraid to throw it a lot. Even if he does throw it, what if he breaks his hand during the fight? How can he knock out a guy with a great chin with a broken hand?