Who Is Linton Vassell, and Why Is He Fighting for a Bellator Title?

Maybe you know Emanuel Newton. You know, the Bellator light heavyweight champ, he of the King Mo knockout and the spinning backfists and the amazing interviews? Right, that guy.

He'll defend his title Friday at Bellator 130, and he's doing it against a fairly anonymous challenger named Linton Vassell. 

Just who is Linton Vassell? A mere warm body with an unlikely name, tossed in to chum the waters for a rising star in a promotion that could do with another promotional star or two? Maybe not. But maybe. Let's take a closer look, why don't we. 

First, the database basics. Linton "The Swarm" Vassell is 31 years old. He is also English, and he made his bones on the British circuit, most notably UCMMA, where he was light heavyweight champ. Vassell is 14-3 as a pro and 3-0 since joining Bellator almost exactly one year ago. And he owns a nine-fight winning streak, albeit not at the expense of the world's greatest fighters, unless you count Zelg Galesic. 

The oddsmakers, on average, have "The Swarm" at about a 5-2 underdog to spring the upset on Newton. That doesn't signal a massive mismatch, but it's not exactly indicating a tossup, either.

How could he pull off the stunner? Probably with grappling. Vassell is a very nimble light heavyweight, and that shines through most for him on the ground. He has very sticky top control, he can take your back in a heartbeat, and he always seems to be working to get his limbs around your neck or just flatten you out and beat on your head. I guess that's why they call him "The Swarm." He's only gone the distance three times as a pro, but his conditioning appears very solid.

The problem for Vassell is that he's not the kind of guy who can give another guy fits when the fight is standing. He flicks the jab, fires a leg kick or a clinch knee, but mainly he's just looking to get horizontal. 

And there's the question for Vassell: Can he actually get Newton on the ground so he can begin to work this grappling?

In contrast to Vassell, Newton likes to get himself vertical again the moment he hits the mat so he can keep throwing all those spinning backfists and crazy combos and what not. (Vassell also appears a little chinny, which never helps when something spinnish is on the menu.) Newton has pretty good takedown defense, while Vassell is not what you might call an irresistible force in the takedown department.

So slightly different game plans and skill sets there. If Vassell wanted to get the better of Newton striking, he'd probably want to bull-rush, either to initiate flurries or as a ruse for a takedown. To be honest, I don't see that actually happening, as that really not Vassell's style. But if it does, or if the action hits the mat (a Galesic head kick was what got it there in that particular fight), Vassell can do his work, and he can do it effectively, unleashing it in just about any way.

Bottom line: I have Newton. But Vassell's a charismatic and savvy fighter, and if things start to scramble up on the ground, that's his world. If these two men find themselves there Friday night, there could be a new champion.