Bellator 89 Predictions

Make sure to tune in for this event at 8:00 PM on Spike.tv for the prelims and at 10:00, Spike TV will be featuring the main card.

Sam's Picks

Main Card

Eduardo Dantas vs. Marcos Galvao: Okay, we all know that Dantas was knocked out in his last fight, a fight in which was supposed to be a warm up fight for him. It didn’t go so well so people are sort of overlooking Dantas now. Don’t do that! He is still one of the more exciting prospects in all MMA. Galvao is also a fantastic fighter who is very well rounded. His main weakness is his chin. He has been knocked out twice and rocked by several people. Dantas’ power is underrated and I believe he will knock Galvao down and look for the finish = Dantas via 3^rd round submission.

Brian Rogers vs. Dan Cramer = Rogers via split decision.

Brett Cooper vs. Norman Paraisy = Cooper via unanimous decision.

Andreas Spang vs. Doug Marshall = Spang via 1^st round KO.

Prelims

Timothy Goodwin vs. Nathan Davis = Goodwin via 3^rd round TKO.

Chris Mierzwiak vs. Johnny Buck = Buck via unanimous decision.

Kyle Bolt vs. Joe Pacehco = Bolt via unanimous decision.

Sultan Aliev vs. Mikkel Parlo = Parlo via 2^nd round KO.

Aaron Johnson vs. Brennan Ward = Ward via 1^st round KO.

David Mejia vs. Mont Mcmullens = Mejia via 1^st round submission (strikes).

Dave’s Picks

Main Card

Eduardo Dantas vs. Marcos Galvao: I am very excited about this fight. Dantas is a killer but is coming off of a devastating loss to Tyson Nam and will be looking to rebound against a very tough and technical grappler in Marcos Galvao. I think Galvao’s best chance is to try and make this a slow grinding ground battle. If Dantas is allowed to fight his game, Galvao will be taken out early. This one is tough to pick but I think I’m going with the younger, stronger, faster champion. = Dantas by unanimous decision.

Dan Cramer vs. Brian Rogers = Rogers by unanimous decision.

Brett Cooper vs. Norman Paraisy = Cooper by split decision.

Doug Marshall vs. Andreas Spang = Spang by unanimous decision.

Prelims

Nathan Davis vs. Tim Goodwin = Goodwin by unanimous decision.

Johnny Buck vs. Chris Mierzwiak = Buck by TKO in round 2.

Kyle Bolt vs. Joe Pacheco = Bolt by unanimous decision.

Sultan Aliev vs. Mikkel Parlo = Parlo by TKO in round 2.

Aaron Johnson vs. Brennan Ward = Ward by KO in round 1.

Mont McMullens vs. David Mejia = Mejia by KO in round 1.

Let us know your predictions on Twitter @Champion_Rounds or in the comments.

Prospect Spotlight: Tyson Nam

Photo via Galaxy.com

There has been one man not named Jon Jones that has been highlighting headlines across the Internet in the past 24 hours, and he was relatively unknown beforehand.

That man’s name is Tyson Nam. Don’t recognize it? Start now! The Oregon born native came in to fight Bellator’s bantamweight champion, Eduardo Dantas, at Shooto Brazil 33 to be a simple testament to the skills of the top-10 135er.

Things didn’t exactly go as planned.

Eduardo Dantas came out extremely aggressive, running at him with a flying knee in the opening seconds. Although Dantas ended up landing some solid knees and punches, Nam found an opening after taking a huge knee and landed a monstrous right hand that immediately put the young champ in another dimension. He went as limp as limp can get, and this was only at the 1:40 mark of the first round.

Tyson Nam, in extreme euphoria, ran out of the cage and into the crowd to celebrate a monumental moment in his career that will forever change the course of his life. Now that sounds a bit extreme, but a KO win over a top-10 fighter, especially a champion in the 2^nd biggest promotion to hold bantamweight, will get the attention of promotions around the world.

Now lots of people have been talking about letting Nam get a shot in the next 135-pound tournament that Bellator will hold, but I say nay! This man deserves a shot in the premier organization of MMA. He deserves a shot in the UFC and he deserves immediate attention.   

CR Exclusive Interview with Eduardo Dantas!

Bellator Bantamweight Champ Eduardo Dantas (Photo by Hexlinc)

Eduardo Dantas is a rarity in a sport such as MMA. At only 23 years old, he is the bantamweight champion in the 2^nd largest promotion to hold the 135-pound division. He has incredible power for a bantamweight as he has a brutal knockout win over veteran Wilson Reis with a beautifully set up flying knee. He also holds up a very advanced ground game that was especially shown with his submission win over former champ, Zach Makovsky. This is all helped by his reach advantage he has over most of his opponents as he towers over them at 5’10”.

And to top this all off, he trains at one of the best camps in the world, Nova Uniao, alongside UFC champions Jose Aldo and Renan Barao.

He was very gracious in taking time from training for his next fight for an interview.

Championship Rounds: Hey Eduardo, thank you very much for agreeing to do this interview! So, how do you see the fight between Luis Nogueira and Marcos Galvao going? Who do you predict is going to be the winner?

Eduardo Dantas: It will be a tough fight for 3 rounds, and I believe “Loro” (Marcos Galvao) will win!

CR: Describe the experience watching the bantamweight tournament unfold in determining your next challenger. What has that been like?

ED: It is great to see a tournament with so many good fighters, and to see my next [challenger]. I'm going to settle [into training]!

CR: What is it like being only 23 years old and a champion of one of the world’s biggest MMA organizations?

ED: It is very good; I hope to get to 30 years old with many titles!

CR: How many fights do you have left on your contract with Bellator? Will you come to the UFC once it’s fulfilled?

ED: Bellator is an event that I will not leave; it treats me very well. I love all the organizers at Bellator. They are my family. My contract is 1 year and 6 months. In the UFC, Renan is my friend, who will be beating everyone. I do not see anyone in the UFC beating him.

CR: When you come to the UFC, would you be willing to fight your teammate Renan Barao if he is the champion?

ED: This is our job, we are paid for our show, and so we will fight!

CR: What is it like training at such a prestigious camp such as Nova Uniao?

ED: It is paradise! Everyday I power train with the best! Thank God, I love to fight!

CR: What is a name from Nova Uniao that we should keep our eye on?

ED: Everyone, we [at Nova Unaio] just have the best!

Thanks again to Eduardo Dantas. Make sure you follow him on Twitter @Dudantas22 and watch Bellator 73 as Luis Nogueira and Marcos Galvao battle to be the next one to challenge Dantas for his belt!