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We are getting closer and closer to the historic 100th event for the Bellator Fighting Championships, but that does not mean show 99 is one to miss. This event will be kicking off the season nine featherweight tournament, which has a lot of notable names in the tournament. Also, there will be a light heavyweight battle that pits two former UFC fighters against each other in Houston Alexander and Vladimir Matyushenko.
Kicking off the action is a featherweight tournament opening round bout as Andrew Fisher (12-4-1) competes against Joe “The Juggernaut†Taimanglo (18-4-1). Fisher will enter the bout riding a six fight winning streak and has previously competed against UFC veteran Paul Sass. Taimanglo will enter the fight riding a nine fight winning streak, which includes a win over UFC veteran Per Eklund. These are two fighters who are entering the tournament on an incredible roll, but it will be Taimanglo advancing to round two.
Another featherweight tournament bout is up next as Desmond “The Predator†Green (8-1-0) does battle against Fabricio Guerreiro (17-2-0-1NC). Green is entering the bout riding a two fight winning streak, with two bouts coming in the New England Fights promotion. Guerreiro is currently winless in Bellator competition, having dropped a fight to Magomedrasul Khasbulaev at Bellator 88. Guerreiro may have stumbled in his Bellator debut, but he will rebound to advance to the next round of the tournament.
More featherweight tournament action is up next as Akop “The Sniper†Stepanyan (13-5-0) battles Justin “The Silverback†Wilcox (11-5-0-1NC). Stepanyan has only won one of three under the Bellator banner, with that lone win coming over Chris Saunders at Bellator 92. Wilcox is a late replacement in the tournament, but he is coming off of an eight fight run in the Strikeforce promotion. Stepanyan has had a lot more time to prepare than Wilcox, which will net him the biggest win of his career.
Up next is a light heavyweight division fight as Houston “The Assassin†Alexander (15-9-0-2NC) faces Vladimir “The Janitor†Matyushenko (26-7-0). Alexander will enter the fight riding a two fight winning streak and he is a veteran of UFC competition. Matyushenko will be fighting for the first time since his UFC release, which came after a loss to Ryan Bader at UFC On Fox VI. The winner of this fight could be in the next light heavyweight tournament and it will be Matyushenko getting that win.
Headlining this card is a featherweight tournament opening round fight as Patricio “Pitbull†Freire (18-2-0) takes on Diego “The Gun†Nunes (18-4-0). Freire has competed in two previous tournaments, winning in season seven and making it to the finals in season two. Nunes will be competing for the first time since his UFC release, which came after a loss to Nik Lentz at UFC On FX VII. This is a big time featherweight bout that will be well worth your time to see, but it will be Freire defeating the UFC vet.
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