Bellator had a big time boost in the ratings last week, mainly because two of its bigger draws (Quinton Jackson, Muhammad Lawal) were both on the same card. Will they repeat last week’s number? Doubtful, mainly considering Bellator was trending downwards in ratings all of last season and one event doesn’t make for a continuous trend because of last season’s preponderance of evidence. This week’s ratings numbers will be interesting, to see how many fans stay along, as we get an interesting main card.
Eduardo Dantas vs. Anthony Leone
Dantas is a fighter Bellator has high hopes for and the good thing for them is not a lot of people saw a fairly middling bantamweight in Tyson Name knock him out cold while holding a Bellator title. It’s a blip on the record but a couple of title defenses and it’ll look like a fluke more than anything else. Leone is a nice fighter but he got a title shot because of injury, not because he earned it.
Leone’s best shot at winning is to make this ugly and grind his way to a win. I’m talking pressing Dantas against the cage, keeping him there and work for a takedown. He needs to cage dance his way through 25 minutes to the point where even the most ardent fan can’t justify it. It has to be ugly, like Maynard/Guida level ugly. Why? He can’t play a kickboxing game with Dantas because he doesn’t have the tools to keep up. Dantas is super explosive and a striking affair is playing right into his hands. Nam landed flush and put him out, of course, and a flash KO like that is Leone’s other way to win. The odds aren’t in his favor with this one.
He’s a tough out but Dantas has bigger fish to fry. Look for a big time knockout, probably early. A key will be how hard he took this camp. He’s had a year off and has spoken of how he’d have preferred Joe Warren for this fight; if he thinks this will be easy enough that he didn’t have to train hard Leone could have a chance. I kind of doubt that, of course, but stranger things have happened in MMA in the past 18 months.
Prediction – Dantas by KO, 2nd
Ryan Martinez vs. Lavar Johnson
The guilty pleasure fight of 2014, potentially, as two guys who love to swing (and aren’t good at much else) battle to see who’s going to go unconscious quicker. It was either that opening line or “Which guy is going to get the most brain damage the quickest?” but it wasn’t in nearly as good a taste, I suppose. Both of these guys are sluggers who hit insanely hard so somebody’s probably going unconscious tonight.
I’ll go with Johnson to remain upright this fight. He has the slightly better level of competition at his back but this is a real pick ‘em. Neither guy is all that good but they have just enough power to make any fight interesting.
Prediction – Johnson by KO, 1st
Peter Graham vs. Siala-Mou Siliga, aka “Mighty Mo”
This is another fight for the just bleed crowd … though Graham is a bit more technical, thus making it slightly less of a guilty pleasure than Martinez/Johnson. Graham is pushing 40 but his ability to take a punch, and his exceptionally high level kickboxing talent, keeps him in every fight. Siliga is a tough out but I think Graham puts his lights out.
Prediction – Graham by KO, 1st
Alexander Volkov vs. Mark Holata
Holata has got a wildly amusing record against some interesting opponents. He knocked out Shawn Jordan, who many were hyping as a potential UFC title challenger not all that long ago, but has losses to Ron Sparks and Darrill Schoonover as well. You don’t see that too often and Holata has a tough, tough out on his hands. Volkov is the former champion and many are expecting him and Blagoi Ivanov to meet in the finals without too much of a problem. Holata is a tough out and if there’s an upset to be made it’ll happen here.
Prediction – Volkov by KO, 3rd
