The Fight Report: Bellator 100
The tournaments are lining up nicely for Bellator and Friday’s Bellator 100 adds the welterweights to our active brackets. Familiar tournament battlers will lock horns with newcomers in this deep division, and our main event will settle up the previous season’s championship to make this a night of 170 pounders.
Let’s check in on the match-ups and see what’s going down in Arizona.
Douglas Lima vs. Ben Saunders: A rematch of a previous tournament’s final, Lima and Saunders meet to do it all over again as Bellator 100′s main event. Lima has continued to subtly improve his methodical style, working a low-output but high-impact kickboxing game to great effect over the last several years. Curiously, Saunders hasn’t changed a bit since The Ultimate Fighter, using the same arsenal of high kicks, clinch knees and ADHD style grappling. It’s this inability to evolve that’s cost him previously, and considering he had nothing for Lima last time out, I can’t see this being any different. A mid-paced fight, Lima should chip away at Saunders continuously, depleting the fighter’s gas tank and cruising to a decisive decision win.
War Machine vs. Vaughn Anderson: A competitive fight in the opening round of the tournament, War Machine will do battle with Vaughn Anderson. Anderson is largely unknown in MMA, having plied his trade primarily in low-rent Asian MMA organizations, often as a 200 lb. heavyweight. Using a very traditional muay thai and BJJ game, Anderson is functional with little flair and great at applying pressure at the right moments. War Machine is a different fighter all together though, fighting like a demon and taking chances to gain the upper hand, especially in these closely contested fights. I don’t think Anderson has the range-defining tools and takedown defense to keep War Machine off of him, and while I like Anderson’s power, War Machine can dictate this one from the opening bell. Look for a bloody battle, where War Machine grinds for the first round and finally beats Anderson down on the mat for the second round stoppage.
Brent Weedman vs. Justin Baesman: One of the toughest men in MMA, Brent Weedman enters yet another Welterweight tournament, taking on newcomer Justin Baesman. Baesman is a raw athletic fighter, using an uncanny base to stop takedowns and reverse position, while using a tight boxing game to batter foes standing. What I don’t like about Baesman is his discomfort with taking hits on the bottom, sometimes turtling up to avoid punishment from ground and pound. The fact is, I don’t think Baesman has anything in his arsenal to put Weedman away early, and in a battle of toughness, Weedman wins every time. A fun fight awaits us, with Weedman cracking away at Baesman from the outside for the eventual stoppage.
Rick Hawn vs. Herman Terrado: You know how you can tell Lightweight champ Michael Chandler is a bad dude? Rick Hawn is fighting in a Welterweight tournament. Regardless of motivations, Hawn brings his MMA judo hybrid style to the 170lb division and stands to make a splash. His opponent is Herman Terrado, a smooth operator with ungodly power in his hands and a fleshed-out BJJ game that few could match. I liked Terrado to go far back when he was facing Scanlon, but Hawn presents a stylistic problem for him in his ability to dictate the fight, and in his better technical boxing. Anything can happen with these two throwing their power around, but I favor Hawn to connect with lethality and get this over early.
Luis Melo Jr vs. Ron Kesler: Another Lightweight fleeing the wrath of Chandler, Luis Melo faces Matt Riddle’s late replacement in Ron Kesler. Melo is a well-rounded veteran, having a touch of old man strength that allows him to outpower opponents in close and land crippling punches, even when off angle. Kesler isn’t a bad fighter, but coming off of a loss two weeks ago and making a short notice jump into Bellator makes me think he may have bitten off more than he can chew. If Kesler can’t make this a ground fight fast, Melo should land telling blows in the first round, setting up a second round KO.
About the Author (Author Profile)
I'm a 20+ year veteran of martial arts and a fan of MMA since UFC 1, when my world was thrown on its head by the budding sport. I'm obsessive in the pursuit of martial abilities and have competed across the country in everything from Vale Tudo to archery to Scottish broadsword. Once my body broke down, I picked up a pen and went in the direction of writing. I specialize in betting advice, predictions, and I'm a walking encyclopedia of MMA trivia. I own a cafe in Exeter, NH called Hammersmith Sandwich Company and write out of my office between customers.Subscribe
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