Renato Sobral (top), one of the biggest additions to the Bellator roster to date, will make his promotional debut tonight. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
The now infamous line “MMA comes home to Spike TV” becomes reality tonight as Bellator makes its debut on Spike TV with its 85th fight card, and does so in spectacular fashion with a pair of title fights in two of Bellator’s most talent-rich divisions: lightweight and featherweight. UFC veteran, former Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, former IFC Light Heavyweight Champion, RINGS veteran, and owner of some of the most wicked tattoos in the game “Babalu” Renato Sobral (37-9) makes his debut inside the Bellator cage in the Season 8 Light Heavyweight Tournament against M-1 veteran and fellow Bellator newcomer Mikhail Zayats (19-6). Bellator Featherweight Champion Pat Curran (17-4) defends his title for the first time against the dangerous “Pitbull” Patricio Freire (17-1) in a scheduled five-round bout that will likely end with a brutal finish. Bellator Lightweight Champion, the undefeated Michael Chandler (10-0), makes his first defense of his belt against the talented Judo black belt Rick Hawn (14-1) in the main event of the night.
Renato Sobral vs. Mikhail Zayats: Two submission specialists will enter the Bellator cage to headline the Season 8 205lbs. tournament, but in the submission game only one name matters inside the cage and that is Renato Sobral. “Babalu” has fought just about everybody and everywhere and holds 19 submission wins to his name. He is on the heels of a 31-second submission victory at ONE FC 4 coming into his Bellator debut. Zayats, who has finished four of five opponents, will have his hands full against “Babalu”, however his striking may be his best chance to defeat the Brazilian. Zayats has a number of wins by strikes but Sobral has too much experience to fall for the Russian’s tricks. “Babalu’s” striking is underrated and he uses it well to get his opponent out of mind and sink in the submission. Zayats will need to stay on his toes, circle away, and defend the takedown attempts Renato. Sobral is hungry to make an impression on the main stage with Bellator and if he comes in with a clear head and pep in his step fans will see a Jiu-Jitsu clinic put on by one of the finest. Babalu via Submission (Armbar), Round 1
Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire: Curran has been nothing less than dominant since coming to Bellator. His only loss in eight fights was a close decision to former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez (24-3). The same can be said for “Pitbull” who has won five of six with his lone loss for the featherweight crown that Curran currently holds. What makes this interesting is the manner in which “Pitbull” lost his title bout, the manner in which Curran defeated the same man, and the manner in which Alvarez defeated Curran. Curran beat Joe Warren (8-3) by stuffing the takedowns and out-boxing the self-proclaimed “baddest man on the planet”, however, when faced with a superior striker in Alvarez, he was beaten. Freire is by far the superior striker in this match and it is likely that he possesses more stopping power than Alvarez. However, Curran is a ground fighter by trade and is much larger than Joe Warren, who effortlessly grounded Freire and controlled him for five rounds. The result is a complete toss-up, but when a champ hits the final bell in a close fight, the judges often nod his way and a good big man almost always beats an equally good small man – it’s the reason they have weight classes. Curran via Unanimous Decision
Michael Chandler vs. Rick Hawn: So far, no one has been able to stop Michael Chandler from completely dominating the pace and position of the fight with his wrestling. However, he has yet to face a fighter who is both larger and just as skilled on the ground and more importantly, in the clinch and the sprawl, as Judo Olympian and former welterweight tournament winner Rick Hawn. What this will ultimately comes down to is Chandler’s first real test at the Bellator level. Chandler was a successful wrestler in college, but never managed to achieve more than runner up in his conference. He also has had the distinct good luck of having never faced a truly exceptional stand-up grappler in his career. The result should be a long night for the champ as Hawn’s size and Olympic caliber Judo shut down Chandler’s wrestling game en route to a lopsided stand-up beating that ends on the cards. Hawn via Unanimous Decision
MMA Gospel CEO Dan Griffin also contributed to the Bellator 85 pre-fight breakdowns.
