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The historical 100th show for the Bellator Fighting Championships is upon us the company is rewarding their fans with a top notch card. The card will be headlined by the highly anticipated season eight welterweight tournament final between Ben Saunders and Douglas Lima. Also, the season nine welterweight tournament kicks off with a lot of top notch talent battling for a title shot.
Kicking off the action is a season nine welterweight tournament opening round bout as Ron Keslar (9-3-0) competes against Luis “Sergio Junior†Melo (29-11-3). Keslar is a late replacement fighter in this tournament, but he has fought three times in the Strikeforce promotion. Melo is currently undefeated in Bellator competition, having defeated Trey Houston by submission at Bellator 94. Melo is a big favorite to win the tournament and he will defeat late notice opponent Keslar to advance to the next round.
More season nine welterweight tournament opening round action is up next as Justin “Raw Deal†Baesman (14-3-0) is in action against Brent Weedman (21-8-1). Baesman will enter the tournament riding a four fight winning streak, which includes a win over UFC veteran Daniel Roberts. Weedman made it to the finals of the season seven lightweight tournament before losing to Rick Hawn by decision. Weedman is a tournament veteran and will use that past experience to defeat Baesman in this encounter.
Another season nine welterweight tournament opening round bout is next as Rick “Genghis†Hawn (15-2-0) battles Herman Terrado (11-2-0). Hawn has been a tournament finalist twice in Bellator, winning the season seven lightweight tournament and losing in the finals of the season four welterweight tournament. Terrado will enter the tournament riding a seven fight winning streak, with a pair of victories coming in Strikeforce. Hawn is a late replacement as well, but his past tournament experience gives him a slight edge that will get him the win over Terrado.
Up next is a season nine welterweight tournament opening round bout as Vaughn “Blud†Anderson (16-1-1) faces War Machine (13-4-0). Anderson will enter the fight riding an eleven fight winning streak and he has not suffered a defeat in over six years. Machine is currently undefeated in Bellator competition, having defeated Blas Avena by TKO at Bellator 96. Anderson has been an unheralded prospect for a long time now and he will get the spotlight as he defeats Machine here.
Headlining this card is the season eight welterweight tournament finals as Douglas “The Phenom†Lima (24-5-0) takes on Ben “Killa B†Saunders (16-5-2). Lima earned his position in the tournament finals with a pair of victories over Michail Tsarev and Bryan Baker. Saunders punched his ticket to the tourney’s finals by defeating Koffi Adzitso and Raul Amaya respectively. Lima’s injuries in the last year have to be a cause for concern and Saunders will use that to his advantage to win the tournament.
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