Want more wrestling news, rumors, and results? Be sure to visit PWInsider.com and PWInsiderXtra.com.
After a very long wait, Bellator fans will see a brand new middleweight champion and the highly anticipated return of Alexander Shlemenko. As it was mentioned in yesterday’s column, the title was vacated when then champion Hector Lombard jumped to the UFC. Also, the start of the featherweight tournament will begin with three first round fights airing live on Spike TV.
Kicking off the action is a featherweight tournament opening round fight as Fabricio Guerreiro (17-1-0-1NC) does battle with Magomedrasul Khasbulaev (18-5-0). Guerreiro will enter the fight riding a five fight winning streak and this fight will mark his North American MMA debut. Khasbulaev has competed twice already in Bellator, defeating both Nayeb Hezam and Josh Pulsifer respectively. These are two top international competitors to have in the tournament, but it will be Khasbulaev moving on to round two.
Another featherweight tournament opening round fight is next as Mitch Jackson (19-2-0) faces Mike “The Marine†Richman (13-2-0). Jackson enters the tournament riding a seven fight winning streak and has competed against UFC veteran Pablo Garza. Richman made it to the finals of the season seven featherweight tournament before losing to Shahbulat Shamhalaev. This fight should be the show stealer of the opening round, but it will be Richman making his way back to the semi-finals.
Up next is a featherweight tournament opening round fight as Marlon “The Gladiator†Sandro (23-4-0) battles Akop “The Sniper†Stepanyan (12-4-0). Sandro has made it to the finals of two previous featherweight tournaments, losing to Pat Curran and Daniel Strauss. Stepanyan competed in the season seven featherweight tournament, but lost to Waggney Fabiano in the opening round. Sandro has a lot of tournament experience in Bellator and that experience is going to carry him to the next round.
Headlining this card is a Bellator Middleweight Title decision fight as Maiquel “Big Rig†Falcao (31-4-0-1NC) faces Alexander “Storm†Shlemenko (46-7-0). Falcao earned an opportunity at the gold by winning the season seven tournament by beating Andreas Spang in the finals. Shlemenko has not competed in well over six months after recovering from a car accident, he earned a shot at the gold by winning the season five tournament. This fight could come down to whether or not Falcao puts it on the ground, but I see Shlemenko using his striking skills to take the gold home.
Follow me on Twitter @DaveTeesMMA
Contact me at bigteesps3@yahoo.com
