It's going to be a crazy night of MMA action in San Jose, California, on Friday. Bellator MMA and Glory Kickboxing are staging a cross-sport card that features what we hope will be high-level competition in both martial arts. This particular preview is focused on the Bellator event, but there's also a preview piece dedicated to the Glory portion of the show.
Bellator's light heavyweight division takes center stage. There will be a four-man tournament to determine a No. 1 contender and a title bout in the division between champion Liam McGeary and living legend Tito Ortiz.
Perhaps the best part of the evening is the return of legendary PRIDE announcer Lenne Hardt. She'll put her awesomely creepy spin on the cage walks. In case you're unfamiliar with her style, take a listen to this promo voiced by the lady herself:
Here's a look at the Bellator fights on the card with predictions for each bout.
Davis Will Be Crowned in Tourney
The top 205-pounders in Bellator will be in competition to determine the No. 1 contender. In an old-school, one-night tournament, Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal, Linton Vassell, "Mr. Wonderful" Phil Davis and Emanuel "Hardcore Kid" Newton will attempt to battle their way through the mini-bracket.
In one fight, Lawal will face Vassell in a matchup between elite wrestlers. Vassell is the longer, leaner fighter, but his wrestling prowess isn't quite on the same level as Lawal's. While Vassell will have a length advantage, he isn't a better athlete, and Lawal has a bit more power in his strikes.
Expect Vassell to become frustrated as he won't be able to take Lawal down. In the process of trying, he might run into a big shot that brings the fight to an end. In any case, King Mo will move on to the final.
In the other semifinal bout, it's going to be a clash of styles. Davis is an elite wrestler who has never found himself as a striker. Newton is almost the exact opposite. His unorthodox style lulls opponents to sleep, but his striking prowess has proven legit. That's especially the case when it comes to his spinning backfist. He's victimized Lawal and others with the punch.
Davis is an extremely safe fighter, and that should prevent him from running into spinning attacks, but he'll have to secure takedowns to win. This is a close call, but Newton has yet to show he can handle himself on the ground against fighters who are active on the ground. Davis will earn the decision.
In the final, Davis' conditioning will be key. Lawal has the edge in striking, but Davis will make sure this fight goes to the ground. Once there, his superior stamina will wear Lawal out and lead to a submission win in the second round.
McGeary Will Dismantle Ortiz
Believe it or not, there are people who actually give Ortiz a chance to take McGeary's title away. Tom Taylor of Fightland wrote:
Ortiz has fought plenty of hungry young lions like McGeary in the past. McGeary has never fought a battle-tested veteran like Ortiz. Sure, the former UFC champion’s sound-bites often leave us scratching our heads in confusion, but he does possess an in-cage guile that can only be achieved through years in the crucible of combat.
It's true, the 40-year-old Ortiz has an immeasurable advantage over McGeary when it comes to experience. That's probably the end of Ortiz's advantages in this fight. The champion isn't sentimental, and he insists he won't be a footnote to more of Ortiz's history in MMA, per Spike Sports:
McGeary is longer, quicker and he has better stamina. If Ortiz wants to take the fight to the ground—which is advisable—McGeary has proven to be a dangerous submissions fighter as well. It's hard to determine just how it's going to happen, but you can bet McGeary will win.
For predictions sake, I'll call the second-round submission.
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