Bellator 48 Fight Card: Preview, Analysis and Predictions

Bellator's 2011 Summer Series comes to an end with an intriguing card that features Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole Konrad and a featherweight tournament final between Pat Curran and Marlon Sandro.

Curran and Sandro each won two fights to get to this point in the tournament. The winner of the tournament final will earn a featherweight title shot against Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Warren.

Also, UFC veteran Paul Buentello will challenge Cole Konrad in a non-title match-up. While Konrad is a massive favorite heading into the fight, Buentello could provide the toughest test the champion has had in his young career.

Additionally, Bellator 48's main card will showcase a fight between former UFC competitors Ricco Rodriguez and Seth Petruzelli. Rodriguez, a former UFC Heavyweight Champion, is riding a 12-fight winning streak heading into this event.

Let's take a look at some predictions for each of the main card bouts.

Juan Barrantes vs. Rene Nazare

Undefeated in nine professional fights, Rene Nazare will look to continue his success against one of the more experience opponents of his career in Juan Barrantes.

While he hasn't had much success against them, Barrantes has fought Bibiano Fernandes and some other big names in the featherweight division.

A world class jiu-jitsu practitioner, Nazare is a more skilled fighter than Barrantes in all areas. After roughing his opponent up on the ground in the first round, look for Nazare to finish Barrantes with a submission in the second frame.

Nazare defeats Barrantes by submission in the second round.

Ricco Rodriguez vs. Seth Petruzelli

After seeing his UFC record fall to 0-4 due to an unsuccessful two-fight stint with the promotion, Seth Petruzelli picked up a win in April 2011. Now, Petruzelli will make his Bellator debut against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez.

Rodriguez will attempt to put himself back on the map and pick up his 13th straight win in this fight. At 34 years old, Rodriguez is looking to continue his current run and finish his career on a high note.

Petruzelli is a fighter who looks to overwhelm his opponent with aggressive striking early in the fight. However, Rodriguez has only been knocked out twice in his career despite facing plenty of opponents with as much power as Petruzelli.

Rodriguez, who should have a noticeable size advantage in this fight, will look to take Petruzelli to the ground and secure a submission. With 24 submission wins in his career, Rodriguez will simply be too much for Petruzelli on the ground.

Rodriguez defeats Petruzelli by submission in the second round.

Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello

Cole Konrad returns for his first fight since capturing the Bellator Heavyweight Championship. Although his belt is not on the line, Konrad may be facing the toughest test of his career in a fight against seasoned veteran Paul Buentello.

Buentello is 2-1 since being released by the UFC for the second time in his career. While Buentello is far from an elite heavyweight, he possesses heavy hands and a solid chin.

Still, Konrad is an extremely accomplished amateur wrestler with a growing submission arsenal. A teammate of Brock Lesnar, Konrad should have no problem getting this fight to the ground.

Konrad defeats Buentello by submission in the first round.

Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro

With the only two losses of his career coming against Hatsu Hioki and Michihiro Omigawa, Marlon Sandro is considered one of the best featherweights in the world. Meanwhile, Sandro's opponent, Pat Curran, is looking to climb the division's ranks after only recently dropping from lightweight for this featherweight tournament.

Curran is a scrappy fighter who will look to win by any means necessary. Although he is a slight underdog in this fight, Curran has looked revitalized at 145 pounds and was much more impressive than Sandro in the first two rounds of this tournament.

Expect Curran to come out with a frantic pace in an attempt to wear Sandro down. The Brazilian will take the first round of the fight, but Curran will come on strong for a come-from-behind victory as Sandro fades.

Curran defeats Sandro by split decision.