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BELLATOR 127 PRELIMINARY CARD PREVIEW

By David Tees on 9/29/2014 8:57 AM

There are four big MMA events coming to us this coming weekend and it will all be kicking off with Bellator 127. The event will be headlined by a featherweight division attraction as Daniel Straus battles Justin Wilcox. There are a total of seven fights on the preliminary card, with UFC veteran Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou and tournament finalist Saad Awad in action.

Kicking off the action is a bantamweight division contest as Shawn “Bunch The Great” Bunch (2-1-0) competes against David Duran (2-2-0). Bunch has spent his entire career in Bellator MMA, but he is coming off of a loss to Steve Garcia at Bellator 105. Duran will be making his Bellator MMA debut in this fight, having previously spent his whole career in the BAMMA USA promotion. Bunch has been one of the better Bellator MMA prospects to come around in a while now and he will rebound from his first career loss to defeat Duran.

A pair of middleweights will collide next as Keith “KO Kid” Berry (15-13-0) does battle against Joe “The Juggernaut” Pacheco (7-2-0). Berry will enter the fight riding a three fight losing streak and he has not won a bout in well over a year. Pacheco will enter the fight riding a two fight losing streak, with his last loss coming to Bellator Middleweight Champion Brandon Halsey. This is a must win situation for both competitors in this one, but it will be Pacheco getting that much needed win.

The light heavyweight division will be featured next as Nick “The Zen Master” Moghaddam (6-7-1) is in action against Ray Sloan (7-0-0). Moghaddam will enter the bout riding a three fight losing streak and he is returning to action after a year layoff. Sloan has already competed once in Bellator MMA, having defeated Jamelle Jones by submission at Bellator 121. Moghaddam is the most experienced fighter that Sloan has faced, but Sloan will overcome that disadvantage to stay undefeated in the end.

Lightweight division action is happening next as Saad “Assassin” Awad (16-6-0) dukes it out with Sergio “Pichilinga” Rios (8-0-0). Awad has won two of his last three fights and he was the last person to defeat Bellator Interim Lightweight Champion Will Brooks. Rios has also competed once in Bellator MMA, having defeated Stephen Martinez by KO at Bellator 122. Awad is one of the more effective strikers in the lightweight division and he will display those skills to defeat Rios.

More middleweight division action is next as Johnny “The Tattooed Terror” Cisneros (8-3-0) battles Ricky “The Sniper” Rainey (9-3-0). Cisneros has only won just one of his last four fights, with that lone win coming over Melvin Coasta at King Of The Cage: Terrified. Rainey has only won one of two in Bellator MMA, but he did compete in the first ever fight on the first ever Bellator pay-per-view telecast. Rainey was outmatched on the Bellator PPV, but he will use that experience to come back and defeat Cisneros.

Up next is a welterweight division attraction as Justin “Raw Deal” Baesman (14-5-1) takes on John Mercurio (6-6-0). Baesman enters the fight riding a two fight losing streak and his last win came over UFC veteran Daniel Roberts at War MMA I. Mercurio has only competed once in the last two years and that lone fight was a loss to Curtis Millender at a Fight Club OC event. Baesman has been stumbling as of late, but he is going to right the ship when he defeats the vastly outmatched Mercurio.

Headlining this portion of the card is a light heavyweight division bout as Malik Merad (19-11-0) faces Rameau Thierry “The African Assassin” Sokoudjou (15-12-0). Merad will enter the fight riding a six fight winning streak and he is a veteran of the Cage Warriors promotion. Sokoudjou is currently undefeated in Bellator competition, having defeated Terry Davinney by submission at Bellator 121. Sokoudjou has seen a career resurgence since joining Bellator MMA and that resurgence will continue as he defeats Merad.

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