Bellator 139 Preview and Predictions
Bellator is coming off a strong ratings weekend and hosts its second show in two weekends on Friday.
On the heels of Kimbo Slice defeating Ken Shamrock, Bellator 139 comes live on Spike TV. Headlined by heavyweights Cheick Kongo and Alexander Volkov, the card should be exciting and has some great names gracing the event.
Former champions Volkov and Pat Curran will be on the card. Kickboxing juggernaut Joe Schilling will also be on the card. UFC vet Kongo is also on the televised portion.
It sounds like an event to keep your eye on.
With that, let's take a look at the card and make some predictions.
Prelims
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155: Gaston Reyno def. Greg Scott via TKO
145: Bubba Jenkins def. Joe Wilk via decision
125: Aaron Ely def. Jeimeson Saudino via decision
185: Bobby Cooper def. Pablo Villaseca via decision
265: Augusto Sakai def. Daniel Gallemore via TKO
145: Iony Razafiarison def. Bryanna Fissori via submission
265: Javy Ayala def. Alex Huddleston via TKO
265: Derek Bohi def. Frederick Brown via submission
155: Marcio Navarro def. Cody Carrillo via submission
Pat Curran vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
2 of 5
Kicking off the main card will be the featherweights, as former two-time Bellator champ Pat Curran meets late replacement Emmanuel Sanchez. Sanchez stepped up for Goiti Yamauchi, who suffered an injury late in training.
Curran is a well-rounded fighter with great boxing skills, strong wrestling and solid submissions. He is also a finisher, something that usually allows him to avoid the judges' scorecards.
He has fallen on hard times in the last few fights. He is 1-3 in his last four bouts, falling to Daniel Straus, Daniel Weichel and Patricio Friere despite a victory over Straus in their rubber match.
As for Sanchez, the Roufusport product is 10-1, including six wins in a row with Bellator and other organizations. Most of his wins come via submission, though he can stand up if he wants to.
His only loss came to Lewis Gonzalez, who is a wrestler in the same right as Curran. However, his last two fights, which were under the Bellator banner, saw him best Stephen Banaszak and Alejandro Villalobos.
Sanchez is certainly a nice challenge for Curran, but Curran has proved himself at higher levels. He will use a balanced attack to overwhelm the Roufusport product, earning a clear-cut decision.
Prediction: Curran def. Sanchez via decision
Joe Schilling vs. Hisaki Kato
3 of 5A pair of bangers meet up next in the middleweight division, as kickboxing star Joe Schilling looks to make another memorable finish when he takes on Japanese fighter Hisaki Kato.
Schilling is a kickboxing dynamo, possessing great technique, a tremendous chin and uncanny power. He constantly searches for the knockout, as seen in both his time with Bellator and Glory Kickboxing.
He is 1-1 since coming to Bellator, as these two bouts were his first MMA fights since 2008. He scored a vicious knockout win over Melvin Manhoef before he dropped a panned decision to Rafael Carvalho.
As for Kato, he is a lesser-known fighter who has spent his career in the Heat organization in Japan. He is a standup fighter as well, so he should play into Schilling's game, though that's dangerous.
This is a matchup tailor-made for Schilling. That's why he will earn a memorable knockout over Kato, continuing to build his impressive, multi-sport highlight reel.
Prediction: Schilling def. Kato via KO
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David Rickels vs. John Alessio
4 of 5
To the co-main event we go, as lightweight counterparts John Alessio and David Rickels do battle next.
Rickels is a brawler who loves to fight on the feet with opponents. He is known for his aggression and fun style, which has earned him a good number of fans in unison with his intriguing personality.
He has fought in Bellator since 2011 and has even fought for the title, though Michael Chandler rebuked him in that bout. That said, he is 2-1 in his last three, with his only loss coming courtesy of Patricky Freire.
Then there's Alessio, a grinding grappler with some good ground-and-pound and submission skills. He is a UFC veteran and has fought some very tough competition in his career, so the bright lights shouldn't blind him here.
He is 1-1 since coming to Bellator while taking on some tough competition. He did fall to Will Brooks in his premiere with the company, but he came back strong with a win over UFC veteran Eric Wisely in his last fight.
This will be a brawl, no doubt. However, whoever has the stronger tool box will be able to surge here, and I believe Alessio's well-rounded abilities are the slightly more enticing pick here.
Prediction: Alessio def. Rickels via decision
Cheick Kongo vs. Alexander Volkov
5 of 5
The main event will see the big boys collide, as French heavyweight Cheick Kongo takes on former heavyweight champ and Russian juggernaut Alexander Volkov.
Kongo is a well-rounded fighter with a ton of experience at a high level. A veteran of the UFC, Kongo is known for his power on the feet and his ability to grind on guys against the cage, as well as the clinch.
Kongo's venture over to Bellator has seen mixed results. He is 4-2, including wins against Lavar Johnson and Peter Graham, but failed in a title bid against Vitaly Minakov and was outpointed by normal light heavyweight King Mo Lawal.
As for Volkov, the 6'7" Russian is primarily a striker, using well-distanced punches and strong kicks to keep fighters at bay. He also has a good killer instinct, which allows him to avoid the judges once he has somebody hurt.
He was riding a five-fight winning streak coming into his last fight but was narrowly defeated by wrestler Tony Johnson Jr. He looks to recover here against a guy who stylistically matches up well with him.
I have a hunch that many people will be going with Kongo here, but I am not one of them. Volkov is big, quick and seems to be in a better place in his career at this point.
Prediction: Volkov def. Kongo via decision
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