The Bellator 132 event scheduled for Jan. 16 features Patricio Freire and Daniel Strauss for the Bellator Featherweight title over five rounds. Here, we review the rest of the main card that will air on Spike TV.
Bellator adds World Series of Fighting import Georgi Karakhanyan to the featherweight division to take on former NCAA wrestling champ Bubba Jenkins. Jenkins has been coming along nicely for Bellator, winning four fights in a row, and Karakhanyan has a good pedigree with a (23-4-1) record overall, so look for the winner to be the next up for one of the top three slots in the weight class owned by Curran, Strauss and Friere. It will be interesting to see where the line comes in, though look for Karakhanyan to open as a favorite.
Houston Alexander takes on Virgil Zwicker in a re-match of their entertaining draw from Bellator 129. Alexander is a big puncher, and he deserves credit because at 40 years old, he has become a smart fighter. He had to use his smarts to get the draw with Zwicker last time out, as he got the takedowns and excersized control against a live body. Zwicker will get beat by guys with technique or super athleticism but if you want to grind out a fight with Zwicker, its going to be entertaining. Look for him to come in as a slight favorite.
At welterweight, Marius Zaromskis takes on Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez is one of those veterans (22-13 overall) who bases his whole game on being scrappy and knowing how to fight. In his last outing, he did his job against a washed up Karo Parisyan and he ended it fast. Zaromskis is a professional with a long international resume, so this is a step up in competition for Gonzalez, but Zaromskis still has enough holes in his game that he needs to be careful. Another tight line is predicted for this welterweight bout.
The rest of the live card has yet to be announced, and those fights may or may not get odds if history is to be accounted for. It is actually in the undercard where we are hoping to see new president Scott Coker’s abilities to find talent, as all he seems to be able to do is recycle the past.
