Bellator 53 Preview

Bellator 53 is set to take place at the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma and will feature the 2 Welterweight Tournament semi final bouts.  Ben Saunders, Luis Santos, Douglas Lima and Chris Lozano all look to get into the finals and get a shot at current Bellator Welterweight champion Ben Askren.  Thiago Santos has a potential chance to get back in the Heavyweight tournament with a win over Josh Burns and 2 Featherweights look to make a statement that they still are a contender for the Featherweight title.

Welterweight Tournament Semi Final

Ben Saunders vs Luis Santos

11-3-2 Record 50-6-1
28 Age 32
171 Weight 171
6'2 Height 6'1
77.5" Reach 70"

How they got here: Saunders defeated Chris Cisneros at Bellator 49 during the quarter finals of the tournament.  Overall Saunders has won 3 in a row since leaving the UFC all by stoppage.  Santos defeated Dan Hornbuckle at Bellator 49 to gain entry to the semi finals and now has won 9 in a row.

What to expect: Saunders is going to want to use his reach advantage and muay thai to keep his distance from Santos.  Santos is going to want to close the distance on Saunders and get him down while looking for a submission, It wouldn't be a complete surprise however if Santos does in fact decide to engage Saunders on the feet.

My prediction: Santos by Decision

Welterweight Tournament Semi Final

Douglas Lima vs Chris Lozano
19-4 Record 9-1
23 Age 29
171 Weight 170.5
6'1 Height 6'1
71" Reach 75.5"

How they got here: Lima is coming off his Bellator debut at Bellator 49 where he defeated Steve Carl in the quarter finals which was also his 7th straight win.  Lozano booked him self into this semi final bout by defeated Brent Weedman during the quarter finals at Bellator 49, overall he has won 3 fights in a row.

What to expect: Although it is Lozano with the reach advantage it will be Lima who will be the one dictating the stand up.  Although Lozano is a tough fight for Lima, Lima should be able to over whelm him with his muay thai and possibly get a stoppage victory.

My prediction: Lima by TKO 2nd Round

Ronnie Mann vs Kenny Foster
20-4-1 Record 9-3
24 Age 26
145 Weight 146
5'6 Height 5'8
68" Reach 68"

How they got here: Mann is coming off his particpation in Bellator's "Summer Series" Featherweight tournament he lost in the semi finals to eventual tournament winner Pat Curran.  Foster is also coming off a tournament loss, his was during the Season 4 tournament to Daniel Staus which also was a semi final bout.

What to expect: Both most likely will be participants in Bellator's next Featherweight tournament but the winner will gain alot of momentum with a victory here.  Mann is the more well rounded of the 2 and should have the advantage whether it stays standing or goes to the ground.  While it could pretty much be Mann's choice where the fight does end up most likely he would elect to keep it standing and outstrike Foster.

My prediction: Mann by TKO 2nd Round

Thiago Santos vs Josh Burns
8-1 Record 6-4
24 Age 33
263.5 Weight 262.5
6'3 Height 6'0
N/A Reach N/A

How they got here: Santos finally makes his Bellator debut after having to pull out of his fight last week due to visa issues.  Burns was originally booked to fight last week as well but his opponent Zak Jensen replaced Santos and faced Blagoi Ivanov.  The winner of this bout could find them selves in the Heavyweight tournament as Mike Hayes may have to pull out of his tournament bout against Blagoi Ivanov.

What to expect: Santos possibly gets another opportunity to get back in the tournament with a win and will be too much for Burns to handle as he should be able to take him down and get the TKO win.

My prediction: Santos by TKO 1st Round

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