Bellator is set to kick off their 5th season with 4 new tournaments the first is the Welterweight tournament at Bellator 49 at the Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City,New Jersey. Bellator has brought back some familiar faces to compete yet again in the tournament as well as some new blood and highly decorated at that. Any one of these bouts could be deemed the Main Event so I wouldn't be surprised to see the card shuffled before the action gets underway. Bellator is coming off a great season earlier this year and this upcoming one is shaping up to be just as good especially starting out with these 8 Welterweights who are competing to get a shot at current champion Ben Askren.
Main Event
Welterweight Tournament Quarter-Final
Dan Hornbuckle vs Luis Santos
22-4 Record 49-5-2
22-4 Record 49-5-2
30 Age 32
170 Weight 171
6'2 Height 6'1
83.5" Reach
How they got here: Hornbuckle is making his 3rd appearance in a Bellator tournament, he most recently lost to Brent Weedman. Santos is making his 2nd appearance with Bellator and first attempt in a tournament, overall he has won 8 fights in a row.
What to expect: Picked as one of the top fights under the radar on this post, records can certainly be deceiving and that could very well be the case with this fight as Santos could be in for a rude awakening against Hornbuckle. We should though expect a pretty competitive fight where ever it may end up most likely I think this could turn into a ground battle with Hornbuckle doing enough to get a close decision victory.
My Prediction: Hornbuckle by Decision
Tweet
Welterweight Tournament Quarter-Final
Chris Cisneros vs Ben Saunders
11-3 Record 10-3-2
31 Age 28
170 Weight 174.5
5'11 Height 6'2
N/A Reach 77.5"
How they got here: Saunders is making his first entry into a Bellator tournament after winning his debut with the organization over Matt Lee, overall Saunders has won 2 in a row after his departure from the UFC. Cisneros is stepping in for the injured Rick Hawn and is making his Bellator debut after having now won 5 fights in a row.
What to expect: Look for Saunders to use his reach advantage and Muay Thai skills to most likely overwhelm Cisneros. Saunders also has an underrated ground game and could possible look for a submission if he does see an opening.
My Prediction: Saunders by TKO 1st Round
Welterweight Tournament Quarter-Final
Chris Lozano vs Brent Weedman
8-1 Record 19-6-1
28 Age 27
170 Weight 170
6'1 Height 6'0
Reach 73.5"
How they got here: Weedman is making his 2nd appearance in a Bellator tournament after having come up short against Jay Hieron in the semi-finals in his last bout. Lozano lost to Lyman Good in the last tournament but since then went outside the organization and picked up 2 wins both by stoppage.
What to expect: Weedman is perhaps not the most skilled in this tournament but he could be the toughest and could easily seem him grinding out a win against Lozano.
What to expect: Weedman is perhaps not the most skilled in this tournament but he could be the toughest and could easily seem him grinding out a win against Lozano.
My Prediction: Weedman by Decision
Welterweight Tournament Quarter-Final
Douglas Lima vs Steve Carl
18-4 Record 15-2
23 Age 26
170 Weight 174
6'1 Height 6'0
N/A Reach N/A
How they got here: Lima is perhaps the highest profile addition Bellator has made to their roster in some time as he is the MFC Welterweight champion and has won 6 fights in a row. Carl, who has had some recent fights cancel on him participated in the Season 2 tournament eventually losing to Dan Hornbuckle in the semi-finals. Carl did however rebound from that lose with a win over Tyler Stinson in his most recent bout.
What to expect: Lima is coming in looking to impress right away and perhaps rightfully so as he has alot of hype to back up. Lima most likely will be looking for a high light reel KO using his reach advantage and his better overall striking game. Make no mistake though Lima can win this fight (and tournament) where ever it ends up.
My Prediction: Lima by TKO 2nd Round
No comments:
Post a Comment