# Bellator season 6



## mattandbenny

Thought i'd get a thread going with all the latest season 6 gossip. There will be 5 weight classes this year - Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight & Middleweight.

Some recent news - Rick Hawn & Brent Weedman are dropping to lightweight, War Machine is in the welterweight tournament, Travis Wiuff has been signed, Masakatsu Ueda signed to bantamweight tournament. 

Below are a list of the fighters expected to be in the tournaments. Fighters in *BLUE* are official. 

*Bantamweight*
*Masakatsu Ueda (14-1)* - *New Entrant*
*Rodrigo Lima (10-0)* - *New Entrant*
*Hiroshi Nakamura (14-5)* - *New Entrant*
*Travis Marx (18-3)* - *New Entrant*
*Alexis Vila (11-1)* - *Season 5 Runner Up*
*Ed West (17-6)* - *Season 3 Runner Up, Season 5 Semi Finals*
*Luis Nogueira (12-2)* - *Season 5 1st round*
*Marcos Galvao (10-5)* - *Season 5 Semi Finals*

*Ed West vs. Marcus Galvao*

*Featherweight*
*Alexandre Bezerra (12-1)* - *New Entrant*
*Jeremy Spoon (12-0)* - *New Entrant*
*Roberto Vargas (12-1)* - *New Entrant*
*Mike Corey (11-2)* - *New Entrant*
*Marlon Sandro (20-3)* - *Summer Series Runner Up*
*Daniel Straus (17-4)* - *Season 4 Runner Up*
*Ronnie Mann (21-4)* - *Summer Series Semi Finals*
*Genair Da Silva (11-4)* - *Summer Series 1st round*

*Marlon Sandro* vs. *Roberto Vargas*
*Ronnie Mann* vs. *Mike Corey*
*Alexandre Bezerra* vs. *Genair da Silva*
*Daniel Straus* vs. *Jeremy Spoon*

*Lightweight*
*Ricardo Tirloni (13-1)* - *New Entrant*
*Thiago Michel (9-2)* - *New Entrant*
*Rene Nazare (10-1)* - *New Entrant*
*JJ Ambrose (17-3)* - *New Entrant*
*Rick Hawn (11-1)* - *Season 4 Runner Up*
*Patricky Freire (12-2)* - *Season 4 Runner Up*
*Lloyd Woodard (11-1)* - *Season 4 Semi Finals*
*Brent Weedman (18-7)* - *Season 4 Semi Finals, Season 5 1st round*

*Patricky Freire* vs. *Lloyd Woodard*
*Rick Hawn* vs. *Ricardo Tirloni*
*Thiago Michel* vs. *Rene Nazare*
*Brent Weedman* vs. *JJ Ambrose*


*Welterweight*
*Brian Foster (18-5)* - *New Entrant*
*Karl Amoussou (13-4)* - *New Entrant*
*Carlos Pereira (33-9)* - *New Entrant*
*David Rickels (9-0)* - *New Entrant*
*Raul Amaya (9-0)* - *New Entrant*
*Ben Saunders (12-4)* - *Season 5 Runner Up*
*Bryan Baker (16-3)* - *Season 2 Runner Up, Season 5 Semi Finals*
*Chris Lozano (9-2)* - *Season 4 1st round, Season 5 Semi Finals*

*Brian Foster* vs. *David Rickels*
*Ben Saunders* vs. *Raul Amaya*
*Karl Amoussou* vs. *Chris Lozano*
*Bryan Baker* vs. *Carlos Pereira*

*Middleweight*
*Maiqual Falcao (28-4)* - *New Entrant*
*Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (15-1)* - *New Entrant*
*Giva Santana (17-1)* - *New Entrant*
*Bruno Santos (12-0)* - *New Entrant*
*Norman Paraisy (10-1)* - *New Entrant*
*Vitor Vianna (12-2)* - *Season 5 Runner Up*
*Brian Rogers (8-3)* - *Season 5 Semi Finals*
*Victor O'Donnell (11-3)* - *Season 5 1st round*

*Maiquel Falcao* vs. *Norman Paraisy*
*Giva Santana* vs. *Bruno Santos*
*Vyacheslav Vasilevsky* vs. *Victor O'Donnell*
*Vitor Vianna* vs. *Brian Rogers*


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## dudeabides

Pretty sweet tournament lineup, can't wait to see if anybody can stop Alvarez in the lightweights. And watch out for Galvao at bantam and Falcao at middleweight!


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## FixedPartialArt

Good thread start. The Bellator tournaments are starting to take shape even though there haven't been many official announcements about their fields yet.

Some comments on your field projections:

Mello - that's a good suggestion. He looked great against Sharipov. He ragdolled him and showed some nice dirty boxing. He's won 5 straight now and I think he could surprise people at 135 because he fits their better w/ his reach (62.5") and lost to some real titans at heavier weights.

Riggleman - I don't think he should get an invite. He only won a split over the aforementioned Sharipov and you don't want a guy in the tournament who lost to a TUF participant (Dodson) even if he was the champ.

Weedman - dropped down to LW, but think he'll be a prelim guy/Feature fight guy in the interim.

Held - he qualified for the FW tourney.

Spoon - he a FW too.

Radley - yet again, think he's a FW. He originally joined for the FW tourney.

Cooper - he's a warrior and who will give just about everybody problems, especially those who are reliant on wrestling.

Rickels - Cooper-esque

Steinbess - not good enough

Baker - worn out his welcome for time being

Ford - don't know if his offer still stands after losing outside the org.

Costa - think he needed to win a qualifier at least.

Other members of the roster that I think are better options than fighters you listed - Thiago Michel (155), Cupcake Woodard (155), Dave Jansen (155), Sapo (170), Karl Amoussou (170), Jonas Billstein (185), Vitor Vianna (185), Brian Rogers (185), Norman Paraisy (185)

Additional comments:

I would like to see M'Pumbu drop to 185 and vacate the belt, but doubt it'll happen.

I'm sure there will be several more notable signings before now and March still. Holding out hope for guys like Miguel Torres, Mamed Khalidov, Paul Daley, Gunnar Nelson, Alex Sarnavskiy, and Hacran Dias. I heard there was another major signing from Japan (like Ueda) yet to be reported publicly.

From the names we do know, my favorites would be:

135 - Ueda
145 - Bezerra, although Spoon is close
155 - Tirloni
170 - Good, Pereira is close
185 - Falcao

FWIW I got 2-3 pre-tourney picks (Dantas, Lima) right for season 5, and picked Big Monster to win HW so it'll probably end up 3-4.

Once again, good topic.


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## mattandbenny

Nice feedback, edited my post with many of your suggestions. Forgot about guys like Paraisy, Amoussou, Michel. 

If they signed Torres, the Bantamweight bracket would be awesome - Torres, Ueda, Ratinho, Vila, Nogueira etc.


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## mattandbenny

MMAjunkie running a story that Vasilevsky (15-1) is going to be in the season 6 middleweight tourney, so looks like they've sorted the contractual issues out. 

Middleweight tourney looking quality - Vasilevsky (15-1), Falcao (28-4), Santana (17-1), Santos (12-0) etc.


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## FixedPartialArt

Would you say those are your favorite tournaments?

They look solid to me, but lightweight and featherweight hold the most intrigue, IMO. 

All 4 aforementioned divisions possess one fighter who stood out in another major organization, but 155 + 145 both include who look like they could reach that level or beyond in the future, i.e.: Tirloni, Freire, Michel, Bezerra, Spoon, and maybe even Mann and Straus.

The other 3 divisions don't boast _as many_ of those type of guys.

I think 170 is overrated for Bellator. In last season's tournament at that weight, Lima was an elite talent, but he was the only one. I don't think that type of fighter exists among this group, unless Good has improved his sweeps significantly, or Indio is a bit better than even I think he is. People get attracted by the higher percentage of names from the UFC. But I still think it's an underrated division relative to other orgs' because Stinson, Wallhead, and James have done pretty well elsewhere even though they were low level tourney/prelim fodder at an earlier stage of Bellator's development.


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## mattandbenny

I think their all quite open this year. 

At Bantamweight i think Ueda and Vila ahve gotta be favourites.
At Featherweight, i favour Bezerra and Sandro.
At Lightweight, i like Alvarez if he's in it, if not maybe Hawn or Jansen.
At Welterweight, i think Foster will take it. 
At Middleweight, i think its the most open. I wouldn't be suprised if any from Falcao, Vasilevsky, Santana or Santos wins. If pushed i'd say Vasilevsky. 

Cant wait for season 6, think its the best season yet.

In other Bellator news, some sites are reporting Wagney Fabiano (14-3) has signed up for the featherweight tournament! Good addition, though can't see him beating Bezerra or Sandro.


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## FixedPartialArt

Yeah, I could easily envision more than one fighter in every division winning.

I think you're giving too much respect to the former Zuffa members/guys who developed their names in other organizations, though.

Foster was a mid-tier WW in UFC, Jansen was a very game fighter but lost 2 of 3 against not so great comp in WEC, and while Alvarez and Sandro are fantastic they have flaws and their divisions are deep enough for at least one fighter to take advantage of that.

I think some of Bellator's own finds are better than them. Theoretically they can draw the same level prospects as the UFC because for the major orgs it's first come first serve and they offer competitive or even better financial opportunities. That's why you saw Lima, Dantas, Shlemenko, and Big Monster (was on the verge) showing the best in their tournaments last season.

And I don't think next season will be much different. Alvarez even is going to have a hell of a time dealing w/ such high level strikers as Tirloni, Freire, and Michel. Sandro will have a hell of a time stuffing all the TD's from Bezerra and Spoon and keeping up w/ them athletically. And if Foster got KO'ed by Brandao and roughed up on the feet by Story he's going to have a hell of a time w/ the likes of Indio and Good, not to mention any wrestlers he'll have to deal with. And I predicted Ueda to win orignially, but come to think of it he'll have a lot of trouble with Vila on the feet or ground, same with Ratinho. When the dust settles, only around 1 of the tournament winners will be established from another major organization. Bellator is always improving at locating, luring, and developing young talent.

Are you the only other poster who discusses Bellator here? That's sad. Bellator is the Rodney Dangerfield of MMA.


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## mattandbenny

I really like Foster, think he's a really underrated fighter, he's improved a lot since the Story fight. Bar getting caught in a kneebar by Lytle, he's looked great in every fight since. And i don't think Jansen will win, but he's tough, never been finished and has a great submission game, and i could see him getting to the finals if he avoids Alvarez - i can see him giving guys like Tirloni (who i think is overrated) problems. And his only losses were to Shalorus and Lamas (both of which were very close decisions), i think their both better than not great comp.

Yea thats one of the reasons why i love Bellator, all the new talent they recruit every season. Every tournament is normally made up of at least 4 guys that havn't been in a tournament before, and it normally uncovers a gem or 2. 2 years ago none of us had heard of the Freire bro's, Chandler, Shlemenko, Good, Makovsky etc - I know i didn't know them at the time, and now their all top 20 ranked fighters. 

And theres normally decent amount of talk when there's a bellator event, think its cause its the off-season that its dead!

In other Bellator news, they have signed Hiroshi Nakamura (14-5) to the Bantamweight bracket. Another good addition, though probably not the most exciting fighter as 12 of his 14 wins ahve been by decision! Just one more guy to be added, who i'd expect to be Fabio Mello.


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## mattandbenny

Travis Marx (18-3) confirmed as the final entrant to the bantamweight tournament. 4 new fighters, 2 previous runners up included. Very well done bellator, its an exciting line up!

Wagney Fabiano, Ronnie Mann & Daniel Straus have been confirmed for the featherweight bracket.


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## mattandbenny

Marlon Sandro and Alexandre Bezerra also confirmed for featherweight bracket. Starting to shape up now with Sandro, Mann, Bezerra, Fabiano and Straus.


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## mattandbenny

Genair Da Silva, Jeremy Spoon & Roberto Vargas are the final 3 added. I was hoping for Radley Martinez, but maybe he's in the lightweight bracket.


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## mattandbenny

Hawn, Weedman, Freire & Tirloni the first ones confirmed for the lightweight tournament.


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## Toxic

Hawn is interesting at LW, hope he doesn't get a rough first fight though against Freire or Alvarez if he is in it.


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## mattandbenny

Thiago Michel & JJ Ambrose added to lightweight tourney. 2 more left...

At welterweight, Carlos Pereira, Karl Amoussou and War Machine the first 3 confirmed.


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## mattandbenny

Brian Foster confirmed for the welterweight bracket.


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## St.Paul Guy

I'm actually really looking forward to most of these tourneys.

There are at least 3 really good fighters in every one, and there's 5 different tournaments!! Holy cow.

Bellator has quietly put together a hell of a roster. Lets hope for no injuries/contract disputes. ray01:

My picks:

BW - Marcos Galvao
FW - Marlon Sandro
LW - Eddie Alvarez
WW - Jay Hieron
MW - Maiquel Falcao

Although outside of Alvarez, and maybe Falcao, I don't see any clear favorites.


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## mattandbenny

Bryan Baker is cutting to welterweight for the season 6 tourney. He was a big MW, thats gonna be a helluva cut!


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## mattandbenny

Saunders, Rickels and Amaya round up the welterweight bracket. Woodard added at lightweight.


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## joshua7789

Has Alvarez actually been confirmed to be competeing in the tourny? I was guessing they were gonna forgo their whole "title shots are earned" thing and give him a rematch with Chandler.


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## mattandbenny

No he may not be in it, but not for that reason, Rebney has said that there won't be a rematch unless Alvarez wins a tournament. 

But he may not be in it anyway, there's only 1 space left and its coule be Alvarez, Horodecki, Held, or even a new guy that they've signed.


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## FixedPartialArt

It sounds like Bellator are preserving the final spot in their lightweight tourney for Alexander Sarnavskiy, who is being called the most coveted prospect since Edson Barboza. Tiger's contract w/ M1 expires at the end of the month, and he trains with Shlemenko and Koreshkov, the Bloody Elbow #1 WW prospect who Bellator also just signed.

Onto the MW tourney now, which should be their most improved for this season.

Their first tournament invitee is Brian Rogers. Rogers had their eventual champ, the aforementioned Alex Shlemenko, on the ropes, and he escaped in part with gamesmanship (pulling on the Predator's dreads as he kneed him). So I think Rogers was a smart pick by Sam Caplan. 

Going back to my original pick of Falcao to win, I'd like to amend that. Carioca Santos didn't even lose a fight on any judge's card on the way to going 12-0. He's also faced all legit comp since his 2nd fight in MMA. Falcao faced a lot of cans, and suffered a couple slip-ups to the type of opponents Santos has been dominating, in addition to being swept by Maldanado in decisive fashion. The smart money in Bellator tourney betting is on the Brazilian noobs.


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## mattandbenny

Cool, i've not heard that, would be awesome if he were in it, i thought he had 1 more fight on his contract, rather than 1 month though. Think he'd match up well with anyone in the lightweight draw, there's no elite wrestlers. Hawn may give him trouble, but he's been happy to stand and bang with guys. 

Rogers is a fun fighter, he won't win it, but will put on a good fight against someone like Falcao. 

I've not heard anything about Santos since they signed him a few months back, i hope he's still gonna be in it. And you heard any news about Vasilevsky? I've not heard anything since M1 came out and said he was still under contract with them, and Rebney said Bellator would look into it.


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## FixedPartialArt

Hawn focused on attempting to exploit a weakness against Good. IMO he still lost the fight, but that was his strategy, so he might do the same against Tiger if Bellator can acquire him and Hawn views his wrestling as a weakness.

I think Rogers is at least a fringe contender. There are adjustments he can make from the Shlemenko fight like shave his head and don't foolishly play the 3 points equal a grounded fighter game. He's a good striker, wrestler, and has a sub victory.

Carioca has to be a virtual lock for the tourney. I haven't heard anything about the Vasilevsky issue being resolved since the lawsuit threat was made. I assumed he was in the fold because Bellator themselves posted an article about the signing, but my interpretation could have been incorrect.


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## mattandbenny

Falcao confirmed for the middle weight tournament.


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## FixedPartialArt

Arm Collector was also added to the MW field. This is shaping up to be a great one! (I know I'm setting myself up for disappointment. )


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## mattandbenny

Yea all the tournaments look really interesting this season, should be the best one yet!


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## FixedPartialArt

Bruno Carioca Santos was named the 4th member of the season six middleweight tournament. He'll be squaring off against countryman Giva "the Arm Collector" Santana in the 1st round. This will be Arm Collector's first fight against a fellow Brazilian in his career (which has spanned 18 fights, during which he's gone 17-1). Santos has faced solely Brazilians during his career spanning 12 fights thru which he's remained unblemished.


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## mattandbenny

Whered you hear that? Cant see it on any of my usual sites.

Victor O'donnel confirmed for the middleweight tournament. Bit of a dissapointing addition in my opinion.


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## FixedPartialArt

mattandbenny said:


> Whered you hear that? Cant see it on any of my usual sites.
> 
> Victor O'donnel confirmed for the middleweight tournament. Bit of a dissapointing addition in my opinion.


Yeah, I cringed after I saw Victor O'Donnell's name. Selections like that are why I had prepared myself a little to be disappointed. He had nothing for B-Rog. I'm not saying can the guy as a result, it was only fight, but at least make him prove he's worthy for the tourney by forcing him to win a qualifier. Maybe they are filling an American quota. This was projected to be a very Brasilian/international field with Rogers and Cooper being the only Americans on my list.

In regards to where I learned about Carioca's invite, it was from this video:


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## kantowrestler

I knew that Viacom wanted to increase the number of contenders for champions. They also wanted to do away with superfights. That is understandable considering the recent loss of a champion in one.


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## FixedPartialArt

There's a report that Bellator will now hold a sixth tournament, this one in the light heavyweight class, during the upcoming season. Although I can't vouch for the credibility of the source.

http://mm-eh.ca/2012/01/13/hollett-gets-opponent-for-bellator-light-heavyweight-tournament/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hollett-gets-opponent-for-bellator-light-heavyweight-tournament

I have noticed Bellator are using Richard Rare Breed in their promos so that adds some evidential support to the report.


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## mattandbenny

The more tournaments the better. If there were 6 some would probably have to take place on the undercard, i hope they stick the undercard fights on spike.tv again. I was actually suprised there wasn't lightheavyweights in season 6 as they've signed some good fighters for it. 

Though i can't see it happening to be honest, i think its more likely for them to do another summer tournament with lightheavyweights.


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## FixedPartialArt

Well here's more confirmation that it is taking place in season six, but at the same time contradictorily states it'll happen during the summer. 

http://mmadiehards.com/live/features/bellator-season-6-light-heavyweight-tournament-line-up-revealed/

Here's the field:
Richard "Rare Breed" Hale
Marcus Vanttinen
Attila "the Hun" Vegh
Roger "Hulk" Hollett
Raphael Davis
Travis "Chosen" Wiuff
Beau Tribolet
????

If it weren't going down the same time as the other tourneys I don't know why they would be announcing the field already.

I hope for the fighter's sakes who were promised upon signing they would be competing in a tourney ASAP, and the others who need work, that the tournament is happening this season.


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## kantowrestler

It is possible that one is set for the summer and the others are for the spring. More than likely they are really getting things set up. Like I said Viacom wants contenders set.


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## mattandbenny

I e-mailed Jordan Breen (of sherdog) asking him about it, and he replied saying there is just discussions about it, nothing has been decided either way yet. So i think the story that website ran listing the fighters in the tournament was rubbish. Still think they'll stick with 5, and do the lightheavyweight one as a summer series, between 6 and 7.

That website also says match-ups include Saunders-Amaya, Amoussou-War Machine & Rogers-Vianna. When the match-ups do get released, we can compare wioth these to see the authenticity of the site....


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## kantowrestler

Well supposedly they are going to be doing alot more programming now. Not just the summer series and seasons but also one off events. But that probably isn't happening until next year.


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## FixedPartialArt

http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jan/16/las-vegas-based-fighter-vitor-vianna/


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## mattandbenny

Vasilevsky has also been confirmed.


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## FixedPartialArt

I doubt the final choice for the MW tourney will be Cory Macdonald....

http://topmmanews.com/2012/01/16/canadian-rumour-mill-january-16/comment-page-1/



> Let’s hope Cory MacDonald’s appearance with the Kingston Provincial Court goes well tomorrow (Tuesday). The Bellator Middleweight, along with five other correctional officers, is facing charges of assault against an inmate on Oct 4th according to the local Kingston paper.


Cooper (alright w/ me), Houston (don't know), Paraisy (not a fan), JT Money (yuck), Marquardt (yes!), or Chalidow (I'd piss myself).



mattandbenny said:


> That website also says match-ups include Saunders-Amaya, Amoussou-War Machine & Rogers-Vianna. When the match-ups do get released, we can compare wioth these to see the authenticity of the site....


FWIW, those fights have all been confirmed on the fighter's own Twitter pages or other websites. I'm sure mmadiehards had information about the LHW tourney and its participants, they just may have been confused as to when it would technically be occurring. It's ambiguous as to which season the summer series would actually be part of. It sounds like Bellator hasn't decided if it will be in season six or the summer series from that Breen quote.


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## kantowrestler

I wish I had cable or that Bellator broadcast online or something.


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## mattandbenny

I actually e-mailed the writer of the article at mmadiehards and he replied saying Roger Hollett told them. So i'm guessing he has been approached about fighting in a lightheavyweight tournament, and Bellator is currently deciding on whether to hold it in season 6 or in the summer as a summer series event. 

Of the other middleweights, Trey Houston is a great prospect, and although he's too green to win this thing, he'd be a great addition (though i've not seen his name mentioned to do with bellator anywhere except wikipedia). Obviously Marquardt would be a great addition. And i'd actually be happy with Parai9sy - yes he was awful on TUF, but since then he's actually looked reasonably decent, and he has a good record. Cooper would be ok if they paired him with O'Donnel or Rogers, he could put on a fun fight, don't think he'd offer much against Vasilevsky or Falcao.


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## FixedPartialArt

Trey "That Just Happened" Houston is on Bellator's official roster. http://www.bellator.com/Fighters.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=23600&FIGHTER_SPID=82496&FIGHTER_START=9

They might give him a couple preliminary fights before he joins a tourney so there isn't such a huge step up in comp at once. 

I checked the dude out, and you're right, he does seem to have a lot of ability. Well-rounded and a sick grappler. I'd much prefer him over JT Money or Paraisy. Maybe even Cooper. He has the talent to win the whole thing. 

Cooper doesn't have the talent to be a champion in all likelihood, but I disagree that he wouldn't offer much against Falcao or Vasilevsky (who I don't think of as the faves even). I think he offers a lot against anyone. Look how tough of a fight he gave Storm. Fudoshin is well-rounded himself and has a ton of heart. He's 5-1 at MW w/ that tough loss to Storm and some solid wins. 3 of his 7 losses occurred when he was 18. Wish he would have gotten a spot over Victor O'Donnell. I think Cooper could pull the upset against a 1-dimensional wrestler type. His sprawl and brawl is textbook.


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## kantowrestler

Well most fighters in Bellator normally make it on the preliminary card before going into the tournaments. At least a good portion of them anyways. Not all of them start on preliminary cards.


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## FixedPartialArt

kantowrestler said:


> Well most fighters in Bellator normally make it on the preliminary card before going into the tournaments. At least a good portion of them anyways. Not all of them start on preliminary cards.


You just have that perception because those are the only fights you can see. 



kantowrestler said:


> I wish I had cable or that Bellator broadcast online or something.


In all seriousness, it probably depends on how much they like a fighter and what his demands are just like when the UFC signs a prospect. I doubt the UFC wanted Papy Abedi to debut against Thiago Alves, but that's what he requested, and he's a heck of a talent, so they accommodated him. Who knows how he'll bounce back from that beating he took. Similarly, I wouldn't want Houston starting out against someone with Falcao's experience level and ability. But if that's what he wanted I'd potentially bend to that demand so he signs w/ my organization.


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## mattandbenny

Featherweight tournament pairings were announced today. Sandro v Vargas, Mann v Fabiano, Bezerra v Da Silva & Straus v Spoon.

Some good fights there, i'm going with Sandro, Mann, Bezerra & Straus to win.


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## edlavis88

http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/01/21/sean-mccorkle-signs-with-bellator/

Sean McCorkle has signed with bellator for season 6. Should be a good test of where he is at.


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## kantowrestler

So overall this should be a good season to say the least. Once again unfortunate I don't have cable.


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## FixedPartialArt

edlavis88 said:


> http://fiveouncesofpain.com/2012/01/21/sean-mccorkle-signs-with-bellator/
> 
> Sean McCorkle has signed with bellator for season 6. Should be a good test of where he is at.


He's fodder for a HW tourney, nothing more, nothing less. He definitely isn't a contender. 

I hate when these ignorant people, like on FiveOuncesofPain, say every UFC reject is going to end up in Bellator and start mowing everyone down in their organization. 

Firstly, Bellator is rather selective about which UFC cast-offs they sign long-term. A high majority of the time they needed to have been cut for disciplinary issues or unfairly. 

Secondly, even in their heavyweight division, Bellator has at least 3 guys who would be good anywhere; Konrad, Big Monster, and Ivanov. That's not counting Grabowski, Prindle, Madsen (unjust UFC cut), Tony Johnson Jr., etc.; who are solid. McCorkle would be lucky to advance through one of those fighters, let alone 3. Even a Mark Holata level guy would be tough for him. Holata KO'ed Shawn Jordan in Bellator, Jordan was subsequently cut, and since has beaten Lavar Johnson in SF and has an upcoming fight in UFC. 

There are plenty of former Bellator fighters who've looked solid in other organizations when given the chance like Masvidal, Herman, Stinson, James, Pineda, Jordan, Wallhead, etc. And outside of Herman, who didn't ever fight at a tourney level, none did all that well in Bellator. 

This clown named David Castillo submitted a Bloody Elbow article about how Melvin freaking Guillard, a guy who should be 3-7 (got gift decisions vs. Tibau and Stephens) against current members of the UFC roster, would tool Chandler and Alvarez. That's rich. Unlike Mel, Alvarez beat their one common opponent in Neer who has fared pretty well in his comeback and Chandler is a good wrestler who has subbed the likes of Held and Alvarez, as if he couldn't get it done against Guillard who has lost 8 times by sub in the 1st round alone. 

There's a mystique about being a UFC fighter, and that's why I make a killing betting on Bellator. Pellegrino was a favorite against Patricky Pitbull. lol


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## kantowrestler

Well heavyweights unfortunately aren't that common to come by. Personally though I do agree that you would think UFC rejects would mow down Bellator that doesn't happen. Look at all those guys that have gone from the UFC to Bellator, they lost!


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## mattandbenny

Norman Paraisy confirmed as the final middleweight addition. 

The match-ups also announced - Santana v Santos, Vasilevsky v O'Donnell, Viana v Rogers & Falcao v Paraisy

I fancy Santos, Vasilevsky, Rogers and Falcao to make it through.


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## kantowrestler

And so the puzzle peaces are falling into place. Should be good.


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## FixedPartialArt

You're slackin'. 

Bellator 61, March 16th in Louisiana:

- Big Monster Santos vs. Eric Prindle (Season 5 HW Tourney Redo) 
Plus the MW Quarterfinal match-ups

Additional Notes:

- The rumored Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki match is all but set for April. It will likely take place under the Bellator banner.

- Shamar Bailey's opponent in a non-tournament bout at Bellator 60 will be 8-1 Josh Shockley (excellent fight for a prelim, I think Shockley will snatch that neck or win on strikes).

- Bellator will be back in Canada, where they've enjoyed there most success from an attendance standpoint, on April the 6th, this time in Windsor, Ontario. 

- Bellator has also applied for a Nevada license. It couldn't hurt to try out Vegas. There's always people there with free time, looking for something to do, and a way to spend their money. If Bellator ever moves midweek like some have suggested, then Vegas being a regular destination is almost a necessity unless they want to get killed at the gate.


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## mattandbenny

I'm loving the first 2 Bellator cards of the season, 5 great fights each card, and some decent prelims announced too, though the UFC rejects with fights (McCorkle, Bailey) aren't great. Madsen is a better signing, i think he could even go all the way in the next heavyweight tourney, depending on the participants.


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## kantowrestler

Well so far all the UFC rejects that went into Bellator haven't impressed me. Most of them have lost in their debuts. However, I agree that Madsen could very well be the exception though.


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## FixedPartialArt

Madsen is better than the average UFC reject in Bellator for sure, and HW is their 2nd weakest division, but I think Ivanov is too well-rounded for him. Madsen might be 2nd best though, depending on who loses between Santos and Prindle, and who else they sign between now and when the tournament is held. It better be quick because Konrad is getting screwed by under-use. They should have done a special card between seasons to determine a challenger, and now that they didn't, give him a super-fight w/ someone like Tony Lopez. But I'm betting they just wait until a title challenger is ready. Best case scenario, IMO, is that Big Monster makes quick work of Prindle, and they could have Konrad defend in late April.


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## kantowrestler

Heavyweight is which promotion's second weakest division? If it's Bellator then that makes sense because bantemweight probably comes next. As for the superfight though I think Bellator is staying away from that from now on.


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## Ruslan90

Hey guys, you surely have heard, that Bellator have signed bloodyelbow.com #1 welterweight prospect Andrey Koreshkov, who trains under the guidance of Shlemenko! 

Man this guy is sick, his striking is just crazy, and his ground-game is very good as well, just check his fights out on youtube!
Or just watch his promo for Bellator:


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## kantowrestler

Well I look forward to this season.


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## METALLICA_RULES

Brian Foster vs War Machine would be a great fight.


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## kantowrestler

That it would be.


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## mattandbenny

Lightweight tournament quarters at Bellator 62. Rene Nazare the last confirmed entrant.

Quarters: Pitbull v Woodard, Hawn v Tirloni, Weedman v Ambrose, Nazare v Michel.

Some nice match-ups, Weedman-Ambrose is worst of the lot, and i'm suprised they didn't split Hawn and Tirloni up and have one face Weedman and the other Ambrose. Some really intriguing fights though!


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## mattandbenny

Chris Lozano replaces War Machine.

Welterweight bracket: Amoussou v Lozano, Saunders v Amaya, Foster v Rickels, Baker v Pereira.


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## kantowrestler

Wait, what happened to War Machine?


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## mattandbenny

He's back to prison in 2 weeks lol.


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## kantowrestler

Now what did he do?


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## FixedPartialArt

He violated his probation terms.

Updates:

Dantas reports he will challenge Makovsky for the belt on April 13th at Bellator 65.

Petruzelli believes he'll be the final member of the summer series LHW tourney. "Nothing is signed, but soon". 

Damian Grabowski confirmed his upcoming bout with Mike Hayes on Bellator's debut card, March 9th. That card is loaded barring injuries.

Speculation:

I'm guessing Askren's defense against Lima happens April 6th at Bellator 64 in Windsor. Lima's last MFC bout occurred there.

They must not seriously be using Amoussou-Lozano to headline Bellator 63. That would be a joke. It badly needs Lombard-Shlemenko as an attention grabber.


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## kantowrestler

So they are going to finally get the bantemweight defense in there? It's about time. As for Petruzelli it looks like he's re-establishing himself.


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## mattandbenny

War Machine said its for some old stuff before he went to prison, rather than violating his probation.

And Sherdogs reporting that M1 have gone to court to prevent Vasilevsky from fighting for Bellator, as they have a contract with him through 2012. I can see him being pulled from the tournament and Cooper or someone replacing him.


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## FixedPartialArt

Cooper said he wants to fulfill the remaining one fight obligation on his contract and make the jump to UFC, unless that was his reaction to being initially spurned. I do think the UFC would be a good fit because he has a high finish rate, is in a lot of FOTN candidates, and is a solid competitor but not contender in whatever major organization he occupies. 

Trey Houston might be a good option as a replacement in this case because the jump in comp wouldn't be enormous to Victor O'Donnell. He or Paraisy were the worst participants in the tourney.


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## FixedPartialArt

My guess was correct this time. Funky Ben will put his title on the line against Phenom Lima on April 6th in Windsor, Ontario. Oddly enough the featherweight semis will take place on the same night and they're already assuming who will advance. http://www.thescore.com/mma/articles/227355-bellator-fighting-championships-put-welterweight-title-on-line-in-windsor Either they scrapped the bantam quarters, pushed it back until the summer series, or they'll be spread out over the 62 and 63 main and prelim cards. My guess is the latter. I think Ueda-Vila or Ueda-Galvao would be an adequate headliner for the Bellator 63 WW quarters card.


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## mattandbenny

Yea i'm a bit confused as to why their not doing a separate card for the Bantamweight fights. Gotta be doing them in the prelims here and there. I guess its possible they could have postponed it till the summer and have 2 summer tournaments.... Strange whatever they have decided!


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## kantowrestler

Yeah, expanding the summer series would definately be a good idea. I definately don't agree that the bantemweights should be on the prelims. It should have it's own fight card.


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## mattandbenny

Unrelated to season 6, Bellator have had a makeover of their website, which looks pretty good. www.bellator.com


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## FixedPartialArt

kantowrestler said:


> Yeah, expanding the summer series would definately be a good idea. I definately don't agree that the bantemweights should be on the prelims. It should have it's own fight card.


Well, they would only be mired on the prelims for one round, and two of the fights could be fit into main cards between 62 and 63. I think the boys involved would prefer fighting sooner rather than all being featured from the beginning. Besides, if the bantam tourney is delayed until summer, then it would crowd out another tournament like say a much needed one for the heavyweight division. Cole has had a dearth of action since seizing the championship, and the trend would continue if they delay a prospective HW tourney until fall. Thankfully for them Cole has been passive about the treatment. Unfortunately for them though Chandler is a more assertive character and he's starting to itch for a fight before his next challenger would be ready. He wants to fight in spring. One of the ideas I've bandied about before to resolve this inevitable issue was Chandler-Kawajiri at a catch-weight. Otherwise, this would be a perfect time to start incorporating a tweak in the system to where if the existing champion loses a super-fight, the title is vacated, and then the super-fight winner would face the tourney winner for the championship. I know they don't want to jeopardize the meritorious system that's been created, but they need more flexibility for title challengers, could use a little more established talent flowing into the org, and if the tourney participants don't like it obviously they'd have a say on who wins the belt.


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## kantowrestler

I can kind've see what you mean. So they plan to have the main events and not show them earlier in the season. Though it kind've sucks to have others in the fight card and others not.


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## FixedPartialArt

According to Rob Joyner of S.I. and MMA Payout, the bantam quarters will be split between their April 6th and 20th events. So the tourney will spill into the summer series, but only one event in probably, and all their fights will be on main cards along way. In the end I think they struck a pretty good balance. No need to artificially constrain yourself to the time limits of one particular season. I think the bigger issue is giving one fighter 2 more weeks of recovery for the finale than the other.

Good news about Cole Konrad's future activity. Bjorn himself stated that unless there are complications from the Monster-Prindle match, the winner will face Konrad before season's end. 

They have been suspiciously quiet about Lombard's impending defense against Shlemenko. I put little credence initially in the report about Lombard facing Khalidov in KSW, but I'm starting to wonder now. Regardless, they should have Lombard defend against Shlemenko on the 63 card. Shlemenko can't sit on the shelf until summer/fall and in turn the next MW tourney champ have his shot delayed also.


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## kantowrestler

Seems like they are being a little smart with the whole match-ups. Not like before Viacom where they tried to jam things into a few events. It sounds like a good thing in theory but should probably only do it for the minor weightclasses.


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## mattandbenny

Wagney Fabiano injured, so Mike Corey replaces him against Ronnie Mann.


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## kantowrestler

Well this is unfortunate.


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## mattandbenny

First bantamweight quarter final set with Ed West v Marcos Galvao at Bellator 65


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## kantowrestler

And here we GO!


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