MMA Combat - Bellator 53 Preview and Main-Event Prediction

MMA Combat - Bellator 53 Preview and Main-Event Prediction

Saturday, October 8, 2011, Bellator Fighting Championships will go live from the Buffalo Run Casino in Miami, Oklahoma, for Bellator 53 featuring their Season 5 Welterweight Tournament quarter-finals; UFC veteran Ben Saunders will collide with experienced Brazilian Luis Santos in the evening's main-event, while once beaten Chris Lozano battles former MFC champ Douglas Lima in the co-main event. Each man will be looking for a birth in the tournament finals to be contested later this year, as the Season 5 winner will earn the right to challenge either Ben "Funky" Asken or Jay "The Thoroughbred" Hieron (who meet at Bellator 56) for the promotion title in 2012.

Also competing on the card is Summer Series Featherweight Tournament semi-finalist Ronnie Mann who will lock horns with fellow three-time Bellator FC veteran Kenny Foster as each man looks to make his bid for an entry in the Season 6 Featherweight Tournament to take place early 2012. Both men started 2-0 under the BFC banner, but saw their momentum stymied most recently when they were defeated by Pat Curran and Daniel Straus respectively in July and April of 2011.

Main-Event Prediction:
Ben "Killa B" Saunders has been nothing short of impressive since signing with the Bellator Fighting Championships earlier this year, handily defeating Matt Lee and Chris Cisneros inside the distance by TKO. The American Top Team representative has posted three consecutive victories and utilizes an aggressive Muay Thai attack with emphasis on a devastating Plum Clinch. Luis "Sapo" Santos is also 2-0 inside the Bellator cage, picking up his 50th career win in his last outing when he defeated tough veteran Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision.

Both of these fierce competitors are big welterweights with similar skill-sets to offer; while Saunders has applied his trade against some of the best competition in the world, Santos has that question mark looming over his head as the majority of his wins come against competition unknown to international audiences. Regardless, the credentials the Brazilian brings to cage are impressive as he holds the rank of black-belt in both Jiu Jitsu and Judo, while being a former national Muay Thai champion.

Saunders cannot allow Santos to dictate the pace of this bout as "Sapo" will settle into his comfort zone and preferred rhythm, making him very difficult to beat technically. The American has never looked in better shape than his recent performances suggest and should push the tempo of this contest to make Santos dig deep into his own gas tank.

It might be a rocky start for Saunders who will find difficultly in timing Sapo's attack from the outside, but he'll initiate tie-ups and clinch work along the fence, wearing on the Brazilian veteran until the second frame sees his pace slow; as Saunders does best, he'll remain relentless at that point of the fight forcing Santos to work at a rate he's unaccustomed to en route to unanimous decision or late, third round TKO stoppage. Ben Saunders will advance through to the Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Finals.

Matchups:
Bellator Welterweight Tournament Semifinals
Ben Saunders vs. Luis Santos
Chris Lozano vs. Douglas Lima

Ronnie Mann vs. Kenny Foster
Giva Santana vs. Darryl Cobb
A.J. Matthews vs. Rudy Bears
Myron Dennis vs. Raphael Davis
Levi Avera vs. David Rickels
Luis Nogueira vs. Zak Laird
Greg Scott vs. Emanuel Brooks


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