Bellator 133: Shlemenko vs. Manhoef Fight Card, TV Info, Predictions and More
There will almost certainly be a finish to the main event Friday night at Bellator 133, which takes place at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Melvin "No Mercy" Manhoef will battle Alexander Shlemenko in the featured bout. All but five of Manhoef's 43 professional bouts have ended with a knockout or submission.
Manhoef is usually the hammer in these situations, having scored 27 of his 29 wins by KO, but there are times when he's the nail.
Most recently, Manhoef was viciously stopped by Joe Schilling back at Bellator 131 in Nov. 2014. It was the fourth time Manhoef had been stopped by KO and perhaps the ugliest of them all.
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The quick countershot from Schilling had Manhoef out cold before he came crashing to the mat. At the age of 38, you might think the veteran would be thinking about retirement. He's doing nothing of the sort despite the fact that he's clearly putting some serious wear and tear on his body.
Per Steven Marrocco of MMAjunkie.com, Manhoef said this when asked about possibly hanging up the gloves: "This is me, man. I see it like this: When you are in war and they shoot one arm off, what are you going to do? Are you going to quit, or are you going to fight? You have to fight. This is how I am.”
He'll go back to war Friday against a formidable foe in Shlemenko. The former middleweight champion is trying to climb the ladder back to the top of Bellator's 185-pound division. The rugged and relentless Manhoef is in his way.
MMA Fighting's Marc Raimondi knows what to expect in this one:
Shlemenko has far more facets to his game than Manhoef. The former clearly has striking prowess. That's evidenced by his 29 wins via KO, but he'd be a fool to engage in a slugfest with Manhoef, which is the only way No Mercy can win.
The more cerebral Shlemenko will pick his spots to strike, but he'll use Manhoef's aggression against him to score the takedown. Like many brawlers, Manhoef has nothing to offer as a grappler. He has never won a fight by submission, and he'll be at Shlemenko's mercy if the fight goes to the ground.
Look for Shlemenko to score a submission victory in the second round. A guillotine choke might just be his maneuver of choice.
Here's a look at the viewing information, full fight card and predictions for the televised and live streamed bouts. Just below the table is a closer look at the featherweight feature bout between former champion Pat Curran and Daniel Weichel.
| Fight | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Nick Bustamante vs. Luis Jauregui | Welterweight | Bustamante by submission |
| Marko Damiani vs. Mason Fowler | Welterweight | Fowler by KO |
| Paul Ruiz vs. Nick Sperling | Flyweight | Sperling by decision |
| Blake Watkins vs. George Zuniga | Middleweight | Zuniga by decision |
| Art Arciniega vs. Emilio Chavez | Featherweight | Arciniega by decision |
| Fight | Weight Class | Prediction |
| Chris Honeycutt vs. Clayton MacFarlane | Welterweight | MacFarlane by TKO |
| Julia Budd vs, Gabrielle Halloway | Women's Bantamweight | Budd by decision |
| Pat Curran vs. Daniel Weichel | Featherweight | Curran by decision |
| Melvin Manhoef vs. Alexander Shlemenko | Middleweight | Shlemenko by submission |
Curran Will Out-Strike Weichel
Since arriving in Bellator in Feb. 2014, all Daniel Weichel has done is win. He won all three of his fights in 2014, and he's now stepping up his level of competition in a major way against veteran, former champion and perennial contender Pat Curran.
There's no secret to Weichel's game. He wants to take the fight to the mat and submit his opponent with his advanced grappling skills. In his career, 21 of his 34 career wins have come by submission. Making Curran tap is easier said than done.
He's only lost one fight by submission in his career, and that came back in 2009 before he arrived at Bellator. Because of Curran's underrated ground game, and his technical striking proficiency, I believe he has the edge in this bout. Weichel lacks the speed and explosiveness that fighters like Patricio Freire and Daniel Straus posses.
Those two fighters were able to emerge victorious over Curran, but Weichel won't. Curran will win a unanimous decision based on more effective striking.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
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