Bellator 115 Predictions

                                                

Bellator 115 Predictions

April 2, 2014

By Ryan Porzl

Johnny Cisneros vs. Mikkel Parlo

Nickname:                                    Tattooed Terror     |         None

Height:                                                   5'11              |         5'10

Age:                                                    Unknown         |           23

MMA Record (BMMA):                   8-2 (0-0)        |      11-2 (4-2)

Arm Length:                                       Unknown         |         69 in.

Team:                                                    Jokers           |    Xtreme Couture

Weight Class:                                      Middleweight (185 pounds)

Notes: Cisneros' Bellator debut

Preview: Cisneros is coming off a win over Melvin Costa by unanimous decision at KOTC: Terrified (October 31, 2013). Parlo is coming off a loss to Brennan Ward by TKO at Bellator 107 (November 8, 2013).

Predictions: Parlo. Parlo has become one of Bellator's top middleweights. He's a good striker with a lot of knockout power (seven out of eleven wins are by knockout). Parlo has also improved his ground game since working with Xtreme Couture as Jason Butcher was never able to get him to the ground in their fight last fall. Despite coming off a TKO, the loss to Brennan Ward came about after Ward wore Parlo down with stomach shots. Parlo has proven in the past that he can take a punch as he survived the heavy hitting Brian Rogers last fall. Cisneros is coming from King of the Cage which doesn't offer the best oppositions. It's hard to have an idea on how good he is and is taking a big step up in competition going from Melvin Costa to Mikkel Parlo.

Dan Cramer vs. Jeremy Kimball

Nickname:                                          Cosmo       |           None

Height:                                                  6'1           |            6'0

Age:                                                       28           |       Unknown

MMA Record (BMMA):                10-4 (7-2)   |       10-4 (1-1)

Arm Length:                                        75 in.        |           72 in.

Team:                                   American Top Team | Team Wildman Vale Tudo

Weight Class:                                    Middleweight (185 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Season Ten Middleweight Tournament semi-final. Kimball is replacing Doug Marshall.

Preview: Cramer is coming off a loss to Brett Cooper by TKO at Bellator 92 (March 7, 2013). Kimball is coming off a loss to Perry Filkins by submission at Bellator 98 (September 7, 2013).

Predictions: Cramer. Cramer does have a lot going against him as he's not a finisher and is coming off a year long layoff. However, he should still be able to pull it off. Kimball is taking this fight on very short notice and will only have about two weeks worth of training. It's very difficult to go into a fight with only two weeks notice. Cramer will not only have more time to prepare but will be training out of ATT which is one of the best gyms in the country. Cramer will also come in with a three inch reach advantage and will likely take advantage of it. Despite his last two losses coming by knockout, Cramer has proven he can take a punch as he fought Brian Rogers and wasn't knocked out. Despite his recent loss to Brett Cooper that was in a fight Cramer was winning until getting caught in the third round. As he's shown, Cooper is the type of fighter that keeps fighting despite being behind which is something Kimball might not.

Andrey Koreshkov vs. Sam Oropeza

Nickname:                                        Spartan                |      Sammy O

Height:                                                 6'0                    |           6'2

Age:                                                      23                    |            28

MMA Record (BMMA):              15-1 (6-1)             |       11-2 (3-1)

Arm Length:                                       74 in.                 |        72.5 in.

Team:                                      RusFighters Sport Club | Philadelphia Fight Factory

Weight Class:                                      Welterweight (170 pounds)

Notes: Bellator Season Ten Welterweight Tournament semi-final

Preview: Koreshkov is riding a two fight win streak. His recent win was over Nah-Shon Burrell by TKO at Bellator 112 (March 14, 2014). Oropeza is riding a six fight win streak. His recent win was over Cristiano Souza.

Predictions: Koreshkov. Koreshkov is probably the better striker of the two and wields a lot of power. He also has a 1½ inch reach advantage and should know how to use it. While Koreshkov's one loss was by TKO, that was due to four rounds of Ben Askren grinding him on the ground and wearing him down with ground n' pound until he could take no more. While Oropeza has wrestled, he doesn't have anywhere near the wrestling pedigree of Askren. It also took Askren till the fourth round to get the finish but this will be a three round fight since it doesn't have a championship on the line. The loss also seems to have made Koreshkov a better fighter as he's not letting the loss drag him down and should be working more on his ground game.

Vitaly Minakov vs. Cheick Ouedraogo

Nickname:                                     None              |             Kongo

Height:                                           6'3                  |              6'4

Age:                                                29                  |               38

MMA Record (BMMA):          13-0 (4-0)         |          20-8-1 (2-0)

Arm Length:                                 78 in.               |              82 in.

Team:                                      Fight Nights Team | Wolfslair MMA Academy

Weight Class:                                   Heavyweight (265 pounds)

Notes: For the Bellator Heavyweight Championship

Preview: Minakov is undefeated with thirteen wins. His recent win was over Alexander Volkov by TKO at Bellator 108 (November 15, 2013). Kongo is riding a two fight win streak. His recent win was over Peter Graham by unanimous decision at Bellator 107 (November 8, 2013).

Predictions: Minakov. Minakov is the type of fighter that Kongo struggles against. Minakov is around the same size, weight, and has backgrounds in sambo and judo which should make it hard for Kongo to pin him against the cage and work him over. Minakov also has good ground skills and Kongo has never been great on his back or with takedown defense. Both are good strikers who pack a lot of power but Minakov has never been knocked out while Kongo has. This fight could end the same as Kongo's fights with Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson did where Kongo can't control him on the ground or the cage and will ultimately get knocked out.