Bellator 282 is a great way to start your combat sports weekend as this event gives fans a great variety of young blood, rising contenders and proven veterans. Check out the most intriguing matchups from Friday’s card.
-280 Gegard Mousasi (49-7-2: 23 KOs, 12 SUBs) vs. +200 Johnny Eblen (11-0: 5 KOs, 1 SUB)
Gegard Mousasi, one of the most underappreciated fighters of all-time, returns to his work place in hopes of notching an unheralded 50th career win. Mousasi faces the undefeated Johnny Eblen, a confident and swarming wrestler trying to rip away Mousasi’s middleweight crown. Mousasi has faced many young pressure grapplers before and is keen and adept at game planning for these styles and recognizing what facet of his opponent’s game he can exploit. I very much like Mousasi to stay hot (has won four in a row and eight of his last nine fights) and get the fight to his strong areas of expertise which is either at boxing range or on top position on the mats.
Selection: Mousasi wins via 2nd-Round TKO
-650 Danny Sabatello (12-1: 3 KOs, 4 SUBs) vs. +390 Leandro Higo (21-5: 3 KOs, 12 SUBs)
The electric Danny Sabatello, a potential superstar, has the look, the mic skills and a rare hyper-competitiveness that will propel him to big future fights if he can get past 10-year jiu-jitsu blackbelt, Leandro Higo. Though both fighters have a few knockouts on their record, this fight will be won in the trenches by the fighter with the superior will to win. Typically, wrestlers will have the advantage in the cardio-conditioning category, but Higo trains jiu-jitsu with a wrestlers mindset and has learned from one of the best to ever put on the four-ounce gloves in Olympic gold medalist and two-division UFC champion, Henry Cejudo. Sabatello is young and fiery and is getting a huge spotlight as the co-main event of the evening, but I believe he is biting off a bit too much here against Higo.
Selection: Higo wins via 3rd-Round Submission
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-290 Cat Zingano (12-4: 5 KOs, 4 SUBs) vs. +205 Pam Sorenson (9-4: 1 KO, 1 SUB)
After almost a year away from the cage, elite bantamweight turned featherweight, Cat Zingano is back again to prove she is one of the current pound-for-pound best in the world against Pam Sorenson. For Sorenson, she has fought and beat UFC caliber talent early in her career, but hasn’t been able to really have a breakthrough performance and a win over Zingano would do just that for her career trajectory. This is a tough fight for Sorenson, no doubt, and Zingano is extremely talented, but she would need to have every aspect of her game lined up in order to pull off this upset. I’m leaning heavily towards Zingano to dominate this fight as she is on a path to the top of the division for a potential title fight against featherweight champ, Cris “Cyborg” Justino.
Selection: Zingano wins via Submission
-800 Anatoly Tokov (30-2: 16 KOs, 7 SUBs) vs. +450 Muhammad Abdullah (10-5: 2 KOs)
The talented Team Fedor pupil Anatoly Tokov, has strung together an incredible resume filled with a high-percentage of finishes. Impressively, Tokov hasn’t lost in five-and-a-half years and brings that signature combat sambo style to the table with big overhand rights, powerful takedowns and a relentless pace. Though his record may suggest a calculated caution to his style, Tokov walks through the fire by often welcoming a phone booth fight. The talented Russian will be fighting Muhammad Abdullah, a former pro boxer with a wealth of punching knowledge in his fists. Unfortunately for Abdullah, he has a very steep task ahead of him and will have his hands full if this fight hits the floor. It may take a few attempts, but I expect Tokov to drag down Abdullah and wear out the big-bodied middleweight for another dominant performance.
Selection: Tokov wins via 3rd-Round TKO
-750 Cody Law (6-0: 4 KOs, 1 SUB) vs. +430 James Gonzalez (8-5: 2 KOs, 2 SUBs)
Reigning from the same gym as UFC champion Aljamain Sterling, James Gonzalez is making his Bellator debut vs. the undefeated American Top Team product, Cody Law, who possesses an extensive wrestling background from one of the powerhouse programs at Penn State. Gonzalez’s record won’t tell his full story, but the mild-mannered fighter has fought UFC caliber opponents throughout his career not to mention a huge win over Pat Sabatini, currently, one of the hottest UFC featherweights. This fight is going to be a chess match as Law has the wrestling advantage and Gonzalez the jiu-jitsu background. Typically in these instances, guys will tend to get in a kickboxing match, which will favor the huge underdog.
Selection: Gonzalez wins via Decision
