Bellator 131, the company’s season closing finale scheduled for Nov. 15 is just three weeks away. The main event features veterans Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar, and three other fights have been announced, but the company has not really put any effort into big publicity and the rest of the card is pending. None of the major books are offering lines on the matches outside of BetDSI, despite the fact that what is announced has solid names and has been on the record a long time.
Bellator had a little bit of bad luck head their way when Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko gave them all of 36 seconds in his last title defense against Brandon Halsey, erasing the chances for a showdown with Melvin Manhoef that would have created a buzz. Now, Manhoef faces Joe Schilling, who has a record of (1-3). Look for Manhoef to be a huge favorite, but keep your eye out, because Manhoef, as great and feared a striker as he is, is extremely limited on the ground so Schilling will always have that area of the fight where he is superior.
In a solid Light Welterweight match-up, Muhammad Lawal faces Tom DeBlass. DeBlass had an 0-2 run with the UFC , and he is 2-0 since moving over to Bellator. The problem with DeBlass now is that he has been off for roughly a year since his last Bellator fight. At any rate, when the fight hits the books, look for Lawal to be a solid favorite. Lawal, with Ortiz and Bonnar in the weight class and already with two losses to title holder Emanuel Newton to his name, really has to do something spectacular if he wants to get into the main event picture.
The best match on the card in terms of pure talent is at Lightweight, as Will Brooks and Michael Chandler meet for the Lightweight title. Bellator had a chance at a real strong weight division with sharp rivalries until they let Eddie Alvarez go to the UFC for no recompense. Now basically Chandler and Brooks are the two big dogs in the weight class. They fought in May, with Brooks earning the Split Decision and taking home the belt. Another barn burner of a fight is expected and Chandler can ill afford to go 0-2 against Brooks, or he will suffer a similar fate to Lawal and that is toiling on the mid-card.
Here is Will Brooks previewing the upcoming fight from an interview he did online last month.
