Strikeforce, Bellator, & BAMMA: Rating the Weekend's Fights for Their Fun Factor

Just because the UFC is taking a week off, doesn't mean MMA does. There is a mass of exciting fights going on this weekend, though, to be honest...

Some are going to be more exciting than others. So to decide which fights are worth watching I invented a system to rank the probability that a match will make us fans salivate.

Here's the breakdown.

*=Only use this as an aide to cure insomnia. Or a method of torture.

**=Drink enough alcohol and this fight might entertain you.

***=Decent fight. Just like most matinee movies you won't remember it three hours after it happened, but you'll enjoy yourself while your watching it.

****=A good fight. Something that will keep you on your toes every once in a while and you'll have a smile on your face the next morning as you remember it.

*****=Are you glad you saw this fight? It had a little bit of everything and it will get you through Monday at work when you wonder why you need your paycheck. It might even be something you brag about watching.

******=They don't get much better than this. Your voice is a little hoarse from all the yelling, but it was worth it. It'll be hard getting to sleep, and by tomorrow, you will have read every scrap of post-fight news you can find on the web.

*******=They don't get any better than this! Ever! Forget sleep as you won't be getting much, if you get any at all. You will be refreshing news pages for new articles and breaking information, and by Friday your voice still won't sound normal.

So with that done, let's get started!

BAMMA: Andre Winner vs. Jason Ball

You know how many Winner fights I remember watching off the top of my head?

Zero.

So I looked some up and then remembered why. Winner isn't exactly an exciting fighter. He is decent, if not ordinary, and has had middling success in the UFC. I am not too excited by the fight, but I am interested in seeing how he does.

Then there is his opponent Jason Ball. Ball is not a top fighter and most likely never will be. In truth, Winner should have more than enough to beat him.

With that said, Jason always seems to have a ball, if you'll pardon the pun, when the cage door locks. He isn't going to be the most technical fighter ever, but he does have fun in the cage.

With Ball, the inferior fighter, pushing the pace, look for a decent scrap.

Overall: ***

BAMMA: Paul Daley vs. Jordan Radev

Paul Daley certainly has been on a slump. From once being a fight away from a shot at UFC gold to losing two fights in a row outside the organization, he really has tumbled. At BAMMA 7 this weekend, he looks to regain a foothold and climb the MMA ranks again.

The opponent?  

A Bulgarian Olympic wrestler by the name of Jordan Radev. Funny thing about Radev the wrestler. He doesn't seem to enjoy going to the ground much. Instead, he enjoys trading with his opponent on his feet.

This isn't to say that he hasn't beaten a number of opponents by submission, just that he likes using his fists more.

Of course he might switch the fight to the ground if he feels like he is in danger of losing to "Semtex", but by then it might be too late.

Overall: *****

BAMMA: Jim Wallhead vs. Frank Trigg

If Wallhead and Trigg were closer together in age, this fight would be interesting. Instead, Trigg is 39 and Wallhead is 27. At one point Trigg might have been the better man, but those days are long gone.

It's true that Trigg hasn't lost a fight since he left the UFC, but the opposition has also been much easier. In both his fights with Koscheck and Serra he was blown out in the first round.

It seems like Trigg might be able to still fight in MMA as long as it's not on the top level. I'm not sure if Wallhead qualifies, but the British judoka black belt certainly has enough energy to stand toe to toe with the energizer bunny, and enough technical knowhow to use it effectively.  

Expect a tough night for one of MMA's senior citizens.

Overall: **

Bellator 49: Steve Carl vs. Douglas Lima

Steve Carl isn't exactly the most known fighter on the internet. His real claim to fame is that he fought in Bellator's last tournament and lost to Dan Hornbuckle via kimura. Now he has to face Douglas Lima who has fought in the MFC and is known for submissions.

Not only is Lima good at submissions, but he has won a decent number of fights by knockout. It seems like no matter what happens to Carl he might be in trouble.

I think the fight will be average, but I am a sucker for a good submission finish and this fight has one written all over it.

Overall: ***

Bellator 49: Dan Hornbuckle vs. Luis Santos

On the surface this looks like a one-sided fight. Hornbuckle is a veteran who has been in the ring or cage with guys like Akihiro Gono, Nick Thompson and Mike Pyle.

His opponent, Luis Santos, in contrast is a relative unknown who seems like a long-shot. That is until you realize that Santos has a record of 49-6-1.

I don't care if Santos fought nothing but debuting fighters. Fight in that many fights and your bound to learn something.

It seems like Santos also has some vicious striking to rely on and the quick reflexes that go with it.

Again, I'm not totally sure on this fight, but something tells me that it's not one where you want to take a bathroom break.

Overall: ****

Bellator 49: Ben Saunders vs. Chris Cisneros

Again it was hard to find a lot of video on Saunders' opponent, but what was found was...okay.

It's tough to judge what might happen, but considering Saunders' aggressive fighting style, it might be a short night for Cisneros.

Again this one is really hard to tell because in truth, Cisneros hasn't fought anybody with name recognition and hasn't had a lot of fights.

My guess. It'll be decent but not overly impressive.

Overall: ***

Bellator 49: Brent Weedman vs. Chris Lozano

Don't expect this fight to have the most technical moves you've ever seen. Weedman is a bit chaotic when he starts throwing punches and is sloppy in his stand-up. I realize that sometimes that makes for fun brawls, but in my opinion, this isn't one of them.

Lozano is a bit more structured, but he still has some issues when it comes to precise striking. This fight could be fun but it also might be a chaotic mess. I expect it will be the latter instead of the former.

Overall: **

Strikeforce: Pat Healy vs. Maximo Blanco

I'm not sure anyone can be an MMA fan and not love Blanco. He is absolutely vicious when he fights, and there is a good chance that someone is going to eat a fist or foot. The Venezuelan is a great brawler, but knows how to kick properly. Overall, it's really fun to watch.

Healy is pretty good on the ground, not that he has a problem with striking. He might try to take Blanco down considering how dangerous Maximo can be on his feet.

This fight should be fireworks, but I have a feeling that Healy will press against the fence before he presses the action.

Overall: ***

Strikeforce: Muhammed Lawal vs. Roger Gracie

Lawal is a decently exciting fighter, though, he is more interesting as a character. At least in most cases.

However, in a fight with a Gracie, I think Lawal taking the fight to the ground might actually make it more exciting. Gracie might not be the most accomplished Gracie on the ground, but he is the most well-rounded. With that said, he is still part of the MMA family dynasty and is an accomplished second-degree black belt.

It might be in King Mo's best interest to keep it off the ground.

The best part? Both of them are decent at striking so even if the fight doesn't go to the ground because one is too gun shy to face the other one that way we should still see a great fight.

Overall: ****

Strikeforce: Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza vs. Luke Rockhold

I am always blown away by Jacare's BJJ skills. No matter who he fights, he is truly a fearsome opponent to face with while on the ground.

With that said, Luke Rockhold is out of his league. The man hasn't faced anyone remotely close to Souza's skill level and it's probably going to show in the fight.  

Worse still is that most of his wins have come by submission. The chances that he will pull one off against such an accomplished grappler seems slim to none.

I might be wrong completely, but it seems like in the past that Strikeforce has sometimes sacrificed prospects to their champions just so they could put on fights.

This seems like one of those times.

Overall: **

Strikeforce: Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva vs. Daniel Cormier

There is almost no possible way that I see Cormier trying to keep this fight standing. Considering that he will lose about half a foot to Silva, it seems more than likely that he will try to go back to his roots and wrestle "Bigfoot" into submission.

The problem with Cormier is that like most wrestlers, he is okay with pushing his opponent up against the cage and wearing them out. This is extremely effective.

It is also extremely boring.

I hope I'm wrong, but I see a lot of leaning against the cage in this fight.

Overall: *

Strikeforce: Josh Barnett vs. Sergei Kharitonov

Nobody will accuse Barnett of being the classiest fighter or person in the world, but few can deny that he is exciting in the cage. In fact, it is because he is so dominant and exciting that he has been able to get away with multiple positives in steroid tests and come back to fight again.

Not to mention he has somehow not burned bridges with the horrible promos that he seems intent on making whenever a microphone gets shoved in his face. Whether you believe it's unfair that he is getting a chance to shine in the main event or not, in the end it makes for great TV. Especially when you realize that his opponent is Kharitonov.

Kharitonov is not only a former kickboxer, but boxed for Tajikistan in the 2003 Central Asian Games, and the 2004 Asian Amateur Championships, pulling silver both times. He also boxed in the 2004 Russian Championships, and also pulled silver there.

In other words, the man can strike. Even though his record has only nine knockouts on it, he has only gone the distance once.

Between the two men they have seen the final bell five times in their careers.

Don't expect this Saturday to be one of those times.

Overall: ******

What Do You Think

Disagree with my list?

Maybe you feel one fight will be more exciting than another.

Let me know what fight you are looking forward to seeing this Saturday.