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In what will be the second of three MMA events on Friday Night alone, Bellator returns to action with another loaded card. The event itself will be headlined by a heavyweight tournament semi-final fight between UFC veteran Lavar Johnson and Blagoi Ivanov. There is a stacked nine fight preliminary card, which features a middleweight tournament bout and plenty of big name competitors.
Kicking off the action is a welterweight division affair as Andy Murad (6-1-0) competes against Ricky “The Sniper†Rainey (6-2-0). Murad will be looking to rebound from his first professional MMA defeat, which came to Gavin Sterritt at Bellator 99. Rainey is coming off of a five fight run in the Xtreme Fighting Championships promotion, he walked away with three wins there. Rainey had a pretty good run during his time in the XFC and he will start off his Bellator run in a positive manner when he defeats Murad.
The light heavyweight division will be highlighted next as Travis “The Terror†Clark (7-2-0) does battle against Luis Philipe “Monstro†Lins (7-0-0). Clark is a longtime veteran of the North American Allied Fight Series promotion and only one of his nine fights went to a decision. Lins is an undefeated fighter who will be making his Bellator debut in this fight and he has only fought twice in the last three years. Clark is far more active when compared to Lins and that time being more active will carry him to defeat his opponent.
More light heavyweight division action is up next as Carlos “Cachorrao†Eduardo (11-2-0) is in action against Rodney “Sho Nuff The Master†Wallace (19-8-0). Eduardo is currently undefeated in Bellator competition, having defeated Wayman Carter at Bellator 103. Wallace is a veteran of UFC competition and he will be entering this fight riding a two fight losing streak. Wallace's better days as a fighter are behind him at this point and it will be Eduardo defeating him to get the biggest win of his career.
Another welterweight division bout is up next as Ron Keslar (11-5-0) stands across the cage from Karo “The Heat†Parisyan (22-10-0-1NC). Keslar made it to the finals of the season nine welterweight tournament, losing to Rick Hawn in the finals. Parisyan is a longtime veteran of UFC competition and he is winless in Bellator, losing to Rick Hawn at Bellator 95. Parisyan's time as a top contender in the MMA world is beyond him at this point and Keslar will defeat him to get another tournament slot in the future.
Bantamweight division action is happening next as Rob “The Saint†Emerson (15-10-0-1NC) dukes it out with Joe “The Juggernaut†Taimanglo (19-5-1). Emerson is a veteran of the UFC and he is undefeated in Bellator, having defeated Jared Downing at Bellator 104. Taimanglo made it to the semi-finals of the season nine featherweight tournament before losing to Justin Wilcox. Taimanglo was vastly undersized in the featherweight division, but he will get a spot in the bantamweight tournament when he defeats the UFC veteran.
A pair of featherweights will collide next as Brandon Bender (11-1-0) clashes with “Handsome†Mario Navarro (4-3-0). Bender competed in the season nine bantamweight tournament, losing to Travis Marx in the opening round. Navarro has only won just one of his last four fights, with that lone win coming over Anthony Bain at Bellator 82. Bender has a huge experience edge coming into this fight and he will get into a future tournament again as he defeats Navarro.
Even more featherweight action is taking place next as “The Tachi Kid†Poppies Martinez (28-9-0-1NC) battles Josh Smith (9-6-0). Martinez is currently winless under the Bellator banner and he is the current Tachi Palace Fights Featherweight Champion. Smith is currently undefeated in Bellator competition, having defeated Darren Smith at Bellator 106. Martinez has gained some gold since his last Bellator appearance and he will do good the second time around as he defeats Smith.
Up next is a middleweight division attraction as Keith “KO Kid†Berry (15-12-0) takes on Dave “The A-Town Ogre†Vitkay (13-12-1). Berry is a Strikeforce veteran who has won two of four in Bellator, with a notable win over Cortez Coleman at Bellator 96. Vitkay is currently undefeated in Bellator competition, defeating both Tyson Jeffries and Jesse Peterson. Berry has been on a bit of a slide since the closure of Strikeforce, but he will get back on track when he defeats Vitkay.
Headlining this portion of the card is a middleweight tournament semi-final round bout as Brandon “Bull†Halsey (5-0-0) faces Joe “The Juggernaut†Pacheco (7-1-0). Halsey has already competed three times in Bellator, which includes a win over UFC veteran Hector Ramirez at Bellator 106. Pacheco competed in the season nine middleweight tournament, losing to Brennan Ward in the opening round. This is a huge opportunity for both competitors in this one, but it will be Pacheco using that prior tourney experience to advance to the finals.
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