Bellator 53

[rayallen0]

So Bellator is regularly being overshadowed by Strikeforce and the UFC as of late, but I think this should be a pretty fun card tomorrow.  Ben Saunders and Chris Lozano tend to put on exciting fights, while Ronnie Mann is one of the better featherweights in Bellator.  We also have a Heavy Weight battle tomorrow pitting Thiago Santos and Josh Burns.

These welterweight tournament semifinal matches should be pretty good.  Bellator’s welterweights are typically very good, though the two best in Bellator are set to square off in Ben Askren and Jay Hieron.  It’s a pretty big gap from the number two to number three welterweights in Bellator, but these fights could go a long way to figure that out.

Bellator 53 will be live on MTV2 tonight at 9:00 PM EST/8:00 PM CST.  A replay will be shown at 1:00 AM EST/12:00 AM CST.  This is pretty conveniently timed for those who won’t be able to check out UFC 136.  Check the UFC Facebook prelims, watch the Spike TV prelims, then check out Bellator.  Definitely a good night of fights.

Welterweight Tournament Semifinals: Ben Saunders vs. Luis Santos

I like the way that Ben Saunders fights.  He’s out there working hard and trying to finish fights, which generally turns out to be very exciting.  He pummeled Matt Lee to gain entry into this tournament and knocked out Chris Cisneros in the opening round.  Luis Santos is very experienced, even if most of his fights have been in Brazil.  He impressively defeated Dan Hornbuckle in the opening round of this tournament.

I think we’ll see a tight decision here and I think Ben Saunders will win it.  I think he’ll push the action and stay active enough to influence the judges in this contest.  Santos has a good chance to finish this fight given 26 (T)KO victories, but Saunders is not an easy guy to finish.  Saunders with the split decision in this one.

Welterweight Tournament Semifinals: Chris Lozano vs. Douglas Lima

The only thing that crosses my mind is Lozano winning via knockout.  I’m not sure why I’m so settled on this since Douglas Lima is a very good fighter on a nice seven fight winning streak, but I like Lozano a lot in this.  I can’t reasonably explain my decision so I’ll just leave it at this.

Featherweight: Ronnie Mann vs. Kenny Foster

Mann has a lot of victories, though he really lacks that real signature win to define his career.  Kenny Foster has fewer victories and lacks any significant win whatsoever.  He’s lost to the three most notable fighters he’s competed against in Donny Walker, Daniel Straus, and Mackens Semerzier.  I don’t know if Kenny Foster can make this close and I think there’s a good chance he’ll be submitted in this one.

Heavyweight: Thiago Santos vs. Josh Burns

Thiago Santos seems better at winning than Josh Burns.  I like Santos by submission in the second round…you know, as soon as Josh Burns can barely breathe.

[rayallen0]

Welterweight Tournament Semifinals: Ben Saunders d. Luis Santos (Submission – Round 3, 1:45)

Ben Saunders looked really great last night and strung together some great submission attempts.  He was finally able to finish the fight with a third round keylock, gaining entry to the welterweight tournament finals.  Saunders is tough and keeps working and will be a tough opponent for anyone.


Welterweight Tournament Semifinals: Douglas Lima d. Chris Lozano (KO – Round 2, 3:14)

Douglas Lima will be really hard for Saunders to get past in the tournament finals the way he brutally knocked out Chris Lozano last night.  Lima has looked good in the tournament thus far and is quickly climbing the ranks at 170 pounds.  Saunders vs. Lima may not have been the likeliest outcome, but it should be a good finals match.


Featherweight: Ronnie Mann d. Kenny Foster (Submission – Round 1, 3:51)

Foster was completely outmatched here and was submitted by Mann in relatively short order.  Mann will now be a participant in the season six featherweight tournament next spring, giving him another chance to earn a title shot.


Heavyweight: Thiago Santos d. Josh Burns (Submission – Round 1, 2:23)

In the war of the fat boys, it was the most massive fat boy who pulled off the win.  That is, the extremely tall and scary Thiago Santos choked out Josh Burns.  With an injury in the heavyweight tournament, it looks like Santos might get a shot in the heavyweight tournament semifinals.

[Triple OG Rapsodie]

Douglas Lima should take this. And I hope Thiago Santos makes it into the tournament, he seems like he would walk through the rest of the heavyweights.