With all the hoopla surrounding UFC 151/2 over the past 24 hours, once again it appears that Bellator is going to be overlooked, which is a shame because they usually have some fights to take note of.
Bellator 73’s highlight will no doubt be the bantamweight tournament final, as Marcos Galvao takes on Luis Nogueira for a shot at new champion Eduardo Dantas. Galvao is a legit world-class grappler, but often likes to slug it out, makiing for very exciting, if sloppy fights.
Elsewhere, we’ve got the light heavyweight tournament final between veteran Travis Wiuff and Attila Vegh. This one could go either way, a couple of minutes of balls-to-the-wall action, or a 3 round grind-fest from Wiuff. Let’s hoper for the former.
Main Card
Attila Vegh vs. Travis Wiuff – light heavyweight tournament final
Marcos Galvao vs. Luis Nogueira – bantamweight tournament final
Mike Mucitelli vs. Matt Van Buren
Ryan Martinez vs. Mike Wessel
Prelims
Chris Coggins vs. Zach Underwood
Jay Black vs. Brian Hall
Andy Uhrich vs. Joe Williams
Amaechi Oselukwue vs. Kelvin Tiller
Brian Albin vs. Jacob Noe
Cosmo Alexander vs. Harry Johnson
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Even if it’s just Henderson/Edgar II that lives up to the hype in August, we’re in for an amazing month of MMA
It’s that time again, as I take a look at what should tickle your fancy across 2 UFC events, the 3rd of Bellator’s 2012 Summer Series shows and the surprisingly prompt return of Strikeforce during the month of August. Once again I’ll be highlighting 5 fights to watch out for, whilst trying to stay away from major headlining fights, because you’ll be hearing enough about them (although there is another exception this month, because it’s awesome).
Ulysses Gomez vs. John Moraga – UFC on FOX 4, August 4th
This Saturday’s UFC event is pretty great, with a lot of potentially fantastic fights on tap. On the other hand many of those fights could end up being absolutely terrible. Fighters may be conservative, not tun up in the best shape, and British heavyweights could simply live up to realistic expectations. One bout that I am certain will be exciting involves the debut of Ulysses Gomez.
We’ve already seen the flyweight guys light up a few events this year, and it should be a regular occurrence for the rest of the year and into 2013 as the weight class grows. Gomez is the former Tachi Palace Fights flyweight champion (the U.S. promotion with the first real legitimate 125 lb division, and he always brings it, even when he loses. He’s a sick grappler, and not afraid of throwing some leather either. I don’t know all too much about John Moraga, but as a flyweight, I’m sure he will be a an excellent opponent for a compelling fighter.
Cole Miller vs. Nam Phan – UFC on FOX 4, August 4th
Shock. Lighter-weight fight looks like it will be fun. While this may not be the most relevant fight in the world (both fighters are coming off losses), both guys enjoy a good brawl, even when it is not in their best interests. Cole Miller is a tall featherweight, with excellent BJJ, but he likes to trade punches and he has lost fights because of that particular penchant. However, it makes for entertaining brawls. Nam Phan would love the chance to stand up with Miller, taking advantage of his long frame by ripping punches into the body.
If the fight remains on the feet, the fans will definitely win, and probably so will Phan, though I would still expect a enthralling battle if Miller works for the takedown and tries to implement his grappling.
Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard – UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II, August 11th
Donald Cerrone has been featured on this list before, and he probably will be every time he has a fight scheduled because he is so very rarely in a boring fight. Hast fight with with Jeremy Stevens was not the barnburner that many had expected, but it was entertaining as Cerrone utilised his technical superiority to out-strike and outclass ‘L’il Heathen’. Melvin Guillard will provide a similarly explosive foil in this match, and he can really ruin any lightweight’s day with his ferocious striking and remarkable athletic defensive wrestling. He is also a flake, and could just as easily get lit up by ‘Cowboy’. Either way, this will be fun.
Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar II – UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II, August 11th
The main event that I had to include this month. Ben Henderson and Frankie Edgar have been involved in the fight-of-the-year in each of the last 3 years. Their fight earlier this year is one of the frontrunners for this year’s fight of the year. Lightweights. 5 rounds. Rematch. Mark your calendar, this will be spectacular.
Pat Curran vs. Patricio Freire – Bellator 73, August 24th
Patricio Pitbull has been sitting on the sidelines for ages. He won Bellator’s Season 5 featherweight tournament, but had to wait until Pat Curran beat Joe Warren to have an opponent for his shot at the title. Pat Curran has looked monstrous at featherweight, and is now ranked as the #2 fighter in the division behind José Aldo by Sherdog.com, and that’s all the indication you need to know just how good this guy is. However, just for fun, let’s remind ourselves what he’s capable of with some highlight videos.
Freeire is no slouch mind, scoring 3 finishes in his 5 Bellator wins. He should also really be undefeated after being robbed against Joe Warren in the Season 2 featherweight final. Let’s remind ourselves of this man’s cababilities too shall we?
So there you have it, 5 fights. All at lightweight or lower. When will everyone finally throwing down PPV money for these guys? Surely by now it’s obvious that they provide the best action.
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