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There are a total of three MMA events this Friday Night and it will all be kicking off with a loaded Bellator 126 card. The event will be headlined by a middleweight title bout as Alexander Shlemenko defends against Brandon Halsey. There will be seven fights on the preliminary card, with a few UFC veterans and former Bellator MMA tournament competitors in action.
Kicking off the action is a lightweight division bout as Raymond Pina (4-0-0) competes against LaRue “The Cannibal†Burley (4-0-0). Pina will be making his Bellator MMA debut in this fight and he is a veteran of the World Fighting Federation. Burley has already competed twice in Bellator MMA, most notably defeating Bubba Jenkins at Bellator 100. Burley has already pulled off a great win when he upset Jenkins at Bellator 100 and his run will continue when he ends the undefeated streak of Pina.
The middleweight division will be featured next as Jacob “Kobe The Stunna†Ortiz (13-4-0) does battle against Clifford “Big Cat†Starks (9-2-0). Ortiz is currently winless in Bellator MMA competition and he will be returning to action after a two year layoff. Starks has been undefeated since his UFC release, which came after a loss to Yoel Romero at UFC On Fox VII. Starks has looked good since his UFC exit and he will show that he is big show material as he defeats the returning Ortiz.
A pair of bantamweights will collide next as Michael “War Monkey†Parker (11-6-0) is in action against Joe “The Juggernaut†Taimanglo (19-6-1). Parker will be returning to Bellator MMA after a three year absence, last competing in the promotion in a losing effort to Nick Piedmont at Bellator 41. Taimanglo has won two of four fights under the Bellator MMA banner and he has previously competed in a Bellator MMA Bantamweight Tournament. Taimanglo has been undersized while competing at bantamweight, but he will right the ship and return to the win column when he defeats Parker.
Heavyweight division action is happening next as Stuart Austin (8-0-0) dukes it out with Dan Charles (7-2-0). Austin has already competed once in Bellator MMA, having defeated Craig Hudson by submission at Bellator 119. Charles is currently winless in Bellator MMA competition, having dropped a fight to Mighty Mo at Bellator 100. Austin is a fighter who looked good in his Bellator MMA debut and he will look good once again as he stays undefeated in the end.
More lightweight division action is next as Derek “The Stallion†Campos (14-4-0) battles Estevan “El Terrible†Payan (15-6-0-1NC). Campos has won three of five fights during his time in Bellator MMA, most notably defeating Martin Stapleton at Bellator 107. Payan has been undefeated since his UFC release, which came after a loss to Alex White at UFC On Fox 11. Payan is a lot better fighter than his UFC run would suggest and he will finally show his true potential as he defeats Campos.
Up next is a lightweight division bout as Brandon “Cold Roll†Girtz (10-4-0) takes on Benny “El Hijo†Madrid (7-1-0). Girtz has won three of five fights under the Bellator MMA banner, most notably defeating Poppies Martinez at Bellator 102. Madrid will be looking to rebound from his first professional MMA defeat, which came to Victor Meza at King Of The Cage: Boiling Point. Madrid had looked amazing prior to suffering his first pro loss and he will return to fashion as he defeats Girtz.
Headlining this portion of the card is a heavyweight division affair as Ryan Martinez (10-4-0) faces Nick “Leatherface†Rossborough (24-18-1). Martinez will enter the fight riding a two fight losing streak, but he has defeated UFC veteran Travis Wiuff. Rossborough has only won just one of his last four fights and he has already competed three times this year. This is a must win situation for both competitors in this one, but it will be Martinez leaving with that key win.
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