Bellator: Predicting the Rest of Season 6 Tournaments

Tonight, Bellator 64 comes to you live from Canada on MTV2 and Bellator.com. The night's main attraction is a welterweight championship bout between current champ Ben Askren and top contender Douglas Lima.

Also featured on the night is two of the four bantamweight quarterfinals, as well as one of the featherweight semifinals.

The season is progressing nicely, but who will be the eventual winners of each respective tournament? Here is a prediction in each weight class.

Middleweight

Eliminated: Vitor Vianna, Giva Santana, Victor O'Donnell, Norman Paraisy 

Semifinals: Brian Rogers vs. Bruno Santos

Brian Rogers is coming off a highlight reel knockout of the favored Brazilian, Vitor Vianna. Rogers has come out as a dark horse to win this tournament, with his lethal striking and never-say-die attitude.

Bruno Santos surprised everyone when he knocked off one of the tournament favorites in Giva Santana. Santos is a big, strong middleweight with devastating power.

Winner: Brian Rogers

Semifinals: Maiquel Falcao vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky

Maiquel Falcao engaged in an interesting, crazy bout with Norman Paraisy, which saw him win a clear cut decision. Falcao is a strong all-around fighter, with a questionable fight psyche, which could play against him.

Vyacheslav Vasilevsky is a talented fighter who ran through a durable Victor O'Donnell. He could surprise everybody and take this tournament—if his head is in the right place (M-1 contract dispute).

Winner: Maiquel Falcao

Prediction:

In the finals, I believe Brian Rogers will meet Maiquel Falcao in a fan-friendly affair, which will showcase Rogers' deadly striking and Falcao's well-roundedness.

Winner: Maiquel Falcao 

Welterweight

Eliminated: Raul Amaya, Carlos Pereira, Jordan Smith, Chris Lozano 

Semifinals: Ben Saunders vs. Bryan Baker

Ben Saunders, other than his knockout defeat to Douglas Lima in last year's tournament final, has been dominant in Bellator. The UFC veteran has shown a great all-around game that has impressed fans and Bellator officials alike.

Bryan Baker is a big welterweight, as he has dropped from middleweight for this tournament. He will possess big problems for any man he faces in this tournament, especially a game Ben Saunders. 

Winner: Ben Saunders

Semifinals: David Rickels vs. Karl Amoussou

David Rickels showed he is more than just a submission artist in his 22-second trouncing of Jordan Smith. Rickels has proven to the rest of the field that he is a man to be feared wherever the fight goes.

Karl Amoussou won a heated fight against Chris Lozano to erase the memory of not making last season's tournament. Now in the semifinals, he has a chance to prove that he is a threat in the welterweight division.

Winner: Karl Amoussou

Prediction:

In the finals, it will be Ben Saunders and Karl Amoussou duking it out to earn a title shot. I see Saunders dominating wherever the fight goes, earning a stoppage victory and a shot at gold.

Winner: Ben Saunders

Lightweight

Eliminated: Rene Nazare, JJ Ambrose, Ricardo Tirloni, Patricky Freire 

Semifinals: Thiago Michel vs. Brent Weedman

Thiago Michel was my upset pick of the first round of the tournament, and luckily he proved me right. He is a precise, powerful striker who showed some knowledge on the ground. He is somebody to watch out for in the future.

Brent Weedman is an extremely underrated fighter, as he choked out JJ Ambrose with a Von Flue choke in the opening stanza. He is very well-rounded and possesses the tools to challenge anybody in the lightweight division.

Winner: Brent Weedman

Semifinals: Rick Hawn vs. Lloyd Woodard

Rick Hawn announced his arrival to the lightweight division in his quarterfinal bout, knocking Ricardo Tirloni senseless in one round. Hawn combines powerful striking with incredible judo skills to push opponents to defeat.

Llouyd Woodard shocked the world by not only beating Patricky Freire but submitting him with a kimura. Woodard is a dark horse to win the tournament but is definitely capable.

Winner: Rick Hawn

Prediction:

In the finals, there will be one hell of a fight. Both former welterweight tournament participants, Weedman and Hawn will leave everything in the cage in a fan-friendly fight.

Winner: Rick Hawn

Featherweight

Eliminated: Kenny Foster, Ronnie Mann, Roberto Vargas, Jeremy Spoon 

Semifinals: Alexandre Bezerra vs. Marlon Sandro

Alexandre Bezerra is going to have a grappling advantage over almost anybody he faces, but he really showed a nice display of striking in his win over Kenny Foster. He will need to mix it up and not be predictable if he wants to take out Sandro.

Marlon Sandro has been on a mission since his knockout loss to current champion Pat Curran. Sandro is one of the most well-rounded fighters in the featherweight division but will probably want to strike with Bezerra.

Winner: Marlon Sandro

Semifinals: Mike Corey vs. Daniel Straus

Mike Corey announced his arrival to the featherweight division with his first round upset over Ronnie Mann. Corey is a big, strong featherweight with a dominating top game. He will meet a similar stylist in Daniel Straus.

Daniel Straus is like Rodney Dangerfield; he gets no respect. Straus is a big, strong featherweight with a great wrestling base and underrated boxing.

Winner: Daniel Straus

Prediction:

In the finals, a great style battle will take place, as the wrestler, Straus, will battle the striking powerhouse that is Marlon Sandro. Sandro is more well-rounded and most likely earn his rematch with Pat Curran.

Winner: Marlon Sandro

Bantamweight

Quarterfinals: Hiroshi Nakamura vs. Rodrigo Lima

Hiroshi Nakamura and Rodrigo Lima meet in the first quarterfinal, which is sure to be an exciting one. Nakamura is more well-rounded, but the question remains if jet lag will be a problem. I believe he will overcome a rough start and move on.

Winner: Hiroshi Nakamura

Quarterfinals: Masakatsu Ueda vs. Travis Marx

Another Japanese import, Masakatsu Ueda will meet American Travis Marx in the first round. Ueda is a well-respected veteran and a skilled one at at that. Ueda will get the fight to the ground and earn a late stoppage or decision.

Winner: Masakatsu Ueda

Quarterfinals: Luis Nogueira vs. Alexis Vila

Former tournament finalist Alexis Vila meets up with the underrated Luis Nogueira in the next quarterfinal. Vila is a powerful striker with a superior wrestling base, while Nogueira is a jiu-jitsu practitioner with developing all-around skills.

Winner: Alexis Vila

Quarterfinals: Marcos Galvao vs. Ed West

In a very close matchup, Ed West and Marcos Galvao will meet in what I think will be the best fight of the opening round. Both are equally dangerous, but I believe Galvao is a little bit more skilled.

Winner: Marcos Galvao

Semifinals: Hiroshi Nakamura vs. Masakatsu Ueda

In the semifinals, fellow Japanese bantamweights Ueda and Nakamura will meet in a crowd pleasing affair. Ueda is better in almost every area of mixed martial arts and will punch his ticket to the finals.

Winner: Masakatsu Ueda

Semifinals Alexis Vila vs. Marcos Galvao

In the other semifinal, Vila and Galvao will rematch from last season's semifinal, which ended in a split decision. Look for another very close battle in this one.

Winner: Alexis Vila 

Prediction:

In the finals, two exciting imports will battle to decide who faces Zach Makovsky in a championship bout. Vila is powerful and experienced, but I believe Ueda is a very talented, overlooked fighter to look out for.

Winner: Masakatsu Ueda