Bellator 123: "Curran vs. Pitbull 2" takes place this upcoming Fri. night (Sept. 5, 2014) from inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., as Bellator President Scott Coker delivers us a card straight from the Strikeforce casket for the season 11 premiere.
The four-bout main card will air live on Spike TV, with the "Prelims" taking shape online, and headlining the event will be the rematch pitting Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran against vicious striker Patricio Freire. The American took the first contest by split decision in a razor-thin tussle at Bellator 85.
A co-main event clash sees Muhammed Lawal looking to bounce back into the win column against Dustin Jacoby, while two other heavyweight fights round up the main card including TNA World Heavyweight Champion Bobby Lashley against Josh Burns, and Cheick Kongo battling Lavar Johnson in a scrap of UFC outcasts.
Also, if you didn't know by now, Bellator and UFC go head-to-head from the same state, on the same night.
Check out our Bellator 123 preview and predictions below:
145 lbs.: Pat Curran (20-5) vs. Patricio Freire (21-2)
This is quite possibly the biggest title fight in Bellator history not involving two dudes named Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler. You already know Curran defeated "Pitbull" by the slimmest of margins to retain the featherweight strap at Bellator 85, before concluding a trilogy series against Daniel Straus. That's more or less where this rivalry commenced, since Freire was disgusted with an immediate rematch involving those two.
"Pitbull" has won two Bellator featherweight tournaments, and the Brazilian is all violence, winning 16 out of his 21 fights by stoppage. He's one of the most ruthless competitors in the world, and we've been seeing that in Bellator. He's only lost to Curran and Joe Warren in two split decision defeats, smashing every other Bellator foe that came in his way.
A two-time featherweight champion and a lightweight title contender under the Bellator banner, "Paddy Mike" has a tad more experience than "Pitbull," especially against tougher opposition. It may not matter, but six title fights in three years definitely counts for something. His performance against Daniel Straus at Bellator 106 was shocking, considering he was flatter than a two-liter bottle of Pepsi at a children's birthday party. Coming back from the brink of defeat in the rubber match may have been a miracle shot for some, but that's what defines a champion, too.
I believe "Pitbull" will come into this fight starved, and Curran is training for that. As eager as Freire is to throw bombs, he doesn't always protect his chin. If Curran can get close, he'll be looking to deck him with multiple-shot combinations. Despite Curran's abilities to end a fight with one punch, "Pitbull" is a lot more devastating when throwing one hit, so don't be alarmed if the Brazilian drops or puts Curran in the danger zone.
If Curran becomes startled by the Brazilian's game, Freire isn't going to let it slip out of his hands. On the contrary, if "Paddy Mike" starts to let his hands go and begins to land significant shots showcasing better cardio, he should pummel his way to a victory.
But in the end, I have an odd feeling about this one. I seriously believe it could look like their first meeting, where we were treated to a technical bout with a ferocious pace for five rounds. I'll pick Curran to retain, yet I'm going to throw in a jab of my own and say "Pitbull" will lose a split decision in a fight many observers felt he should have won.
Sound familiar?
Final Prediction: Curran def. Freire by split decision
Muhammed Lawal (12-4, 1 NC) vs. Dustin Jacoby (10-3)
You have to applaud Jacoby for taking this fight on very short notice, having competed at Titan FC 29 just over a week ago. He's also on a two-fight winning streak, which is good considering his form in GLORY kickboxing has been inconsistent, at best.
That's where the accolades start to wind down for the Illinois native. Despite having a pretty good record of 10-3 in MMA, he doesn't have a win over one guy who would be deemed impressive in terms of drawing power. He went 0-2 in UFC against Clifford Starks (now at Bellator) and Chris Camozzi (winless in his last three), and that's a concern. On the flip side, he is a ferocious striker, and he's pretty damn entertaining, win or lose.
When you think of "King Mo" and where he can find a win, there's no doubt he's a well-rounded fighter, but his wrestling is his most dominant skill. It's also what could have cost him against Quinton Jackson at Bellator 120, yet you know as well as I do that sometimes judges could be the scum of the earth, depending on which side you're on.
Nevertheless, the Mayweather associate was more imposing in the first half of his career, winning the Strikeforce light heavyweight belt and going 8-1 before his positive drug test for Drostanolone.
We shouldn't count out Jacoby's stand-up abilities, since he is a kickboxer after all, factored in with Lawal's stoppage losses to Emanuel Newton and Rafael Cavalcante (even though the latter was years ago). "King Mo" is still susceptible to being clipped out of nowhere besides his decent chin, and like we saw in the rematch against "The Hardcore Kid" and his grudge match against "Rampage," he doesn't always dominate the striking battles.
Still, I fully expect him to grind out Jacoby for three rounds, and work some ground-and-pound as he goes along. He just needs to be careful, considering Jacoby is coming off a knockout win stemming from a head kick.
Final Prediction: Lawal def. Jacoby by unanimous decision
265 lbs: Cheick Kongo (21-9-2) vs. Lavar Johnson (18-9)
Now, I must say I get real giddy when it comes to Bellator heavyweight fights. Just knowing the fight is either going to end by knockout in 22 seconds or having to go through the Judas Cradle for 15 minutes is the type of ambiguity I live for when covering this sport.
With that said, I see this going either one of two ways: Kongo will smother Johnson and exploit his foe's deficiencies on the ground, or "Big" Lavar is going to catch him like the first ball thrown into a new mitt. I'm not ruling out a stoppage for Kongo, but I haven't seen the urgency for a finish when he's coasting.
The Frenchman usually engages on the feet the same way someone would walking through Tenderloin at 1 a.m., which is pretty nerve-wracking. But when his fists fail him, you can count on Kongo to pit his opponent against the fence and work his Muay Thai, or bring his opponent to the floor.
However, if Johnson can create some distance and force his adversary to trade strikes, he's going to be successful. Remember, the Californian isn't really savvy when it comes to grappling, yet he's an old-school cat who lives for the knockout and got it against Ryan Martinez, Pat Barry, and Joey Beltran, just to name a few. In the simplest of forms, if Johnson doesn't get the KO or TKO, he doesn't really win, minus those two submission victories he has on his record.
Obviously, Kongo's had difficulties with heavy hitters, including Roy Nelson, Mark Hunt, and I'll even say Frank Mir. Don't forget Pat Barry was lighting him up like a menthol after whoopee before his comeback win. On the flip side, I think he's had bigger fights, and I'll take Kongo to be the one to send Johnson packing.
Final Prediction: Kongo def. Johnson via unanimous decision
265 lbs: Bobby Lashley (10-2) vs. Josh Burns (8-7)
In all honesty, this contest should go down exactly like you'd expect it to, with Lashley getting the win over a sub-par fighter who just hit over the 500 mark, put into this bout to lose for the crossover star.
Then again, I'm not entirely convinced when it comes to Lashley's dedication to MMA, seeing how he hasn't competed since November 2013 and racked up wins against weaker opposition. He has a good enough wrestling pedigree to take his enemies down and smother them to near death, yet getting caught with a solid punch will always be a factor.
As for Burns, he's going to rush Lashley like shark and do his best WWE "Brawl For All" impression. I'm not saying he's terrible, but that's the way he fights. He's shown glimpses of powerful strength, too, which could be dangerous for Lashley. If the pro wrestler doesn't have his way early, he may get nervous. It depends if "The Hammer" fights smart, or goes in there wildly to prove a point by taking out a guy that does fake stuff for a living.
You also have to consider the damage he's taken in his Bellator fights, specifically the bombs he ate from Raphael Butler in his last outing and the eye explosion at the hands of Eric Prindle at Bellator 40.
I'm going to give Coker and the gang the benefit of the doubt, and say Lashley's athleticism guides him to victory in a bout he was placed in to win. I certainly wouldn't find it shocking if the Coloradan lost, simply because it's hard to predict how he's handling his career.
Final prediction: Lashley def. Burns via technical knockout
There you have it.
Look out for up-to-the-minute weigh-coverage tomorrow night, as well as extensive Bellator 123 coverage this upcoming weekend.