On Friday night Bellator MMA return to the Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula, California for Bellator 137. With the UFC in the Philippines for UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs Faber the following day, fans have another packed weekend of fights to look forward to. Bellator’s event, headlined by a middleweight title bout between Brandon Halsey and Kendall Grove should not get lost in the mix. If you remain unconvinced, here are five good reasons for you to tune in on Friday night.
BRANDON HALSEY’S STAR CONTINUES TO RISE
Reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Brandon Halsey has been nothing short of sensational in his time with the company. He has won all six of his fights, taking his professional record to 8-0. Last time out he took just 35 seconds to drag Alexander Shlemenko to the mat, take his back, and choke him out to win the title.
A dominant wrestler with strong submission offense, the 28-year-old continues to improve every time we see him in the Bellator cage. His first title defense, against former Ultimate Fighter winner Kendall Grove, is another chance to see one of the sport’s most talented rising stars in action.
KENDALL GROVE PLAYS LOUD-MOUTHED HEEL
Say what you will about Kendall Grove’s legitimacy as a contender, having gone just 2-1 in Bellator and 3-4 overall in his last seven fights, the Hawaiian has done his best to sell the Bellator 137 main event.
Grove stated publicly that he knows Halsey is using performance enhancing drugs, citing hearsay through mutual friends. The challenger also said that Halsey has terrible standup and called him a one trick pony. While Grove’s comments in interviews and on twitter have been somewhat obnoxious, they have added a little heat to an already interesting contest between a developing champion and more seasoned challenger.
BANTAMWEIGHT TITLE PICTURE INTRIGUE
The title scene in Bellator’s bantamweight division remains one of their most intriguing. Marcos Galvao holds the belt, following a win against Joe Warren at Bellator 135 in March. Warren himself has a claim to a rematch, having beaten Galvao back in 2011. Bellator 135 also saw the emergence of L.C. Davis as a legitimate contender with his win over Hideo Tokoro in an early Bellator fight of the year contender.
Now former champion Eduardo Dantas, who lost the title to Warren at Bellator 128 in October of last year, meets Mike Richman in a contest that should see one of them stake their claim for a title shot. The defeat to Warren was Dantas’ only defeat in seven Bellator outings. Richman meanwhile moved down to 135 pounds in 2014 and has stopped both opponents, Ed West and Nam Phan, in the first round since dropping weight.
21-YEAR-OLD, 30-0 FEATHERWEIGHT PROSPECT
At just 21 years of age, Brazilian featherweight Julio Cesar Neves has an outstanding 30-0 record as a professional fighter. While his level of competition prior to entering the Bellator cage was questionable, he has continued to impress with two wins in his first two Bellator fights. The rangy featherweight is a versatile striker who works behind an excellent jab and has a solid ground game to boot.
Neves meets Jordan Parsons in the preliminaries on Friday night. Parsons is 10-1 as a pro and won his Bellator debut in April of last year, stopping Tim Bazer at the start of the second round. Parsons should provide Neves with his biggest test to date.
CONTINUED PRELIM IMPROVEMENTS
Over the past twelve months the quality of Bellator’s prelims has improved significantly. Fans tuning in to spike.com before the main card begins have been treated to bouts between relevant fighters and exciting prospects. Bellator 137 continues that trend.
As well as the aforementioned Neves vs Parsons bout, there are interesting fights throughout the prelims. The evenly matched Virgil Zwicker and Razak Al-Hassan meet at light-heavyweight. Former IFL, EliteXC and Strikeforce vet Benji Radach makes his MMA return against undefeated middleweight Ben Reiter. Former Cage Fighting Championship Welterweight Champion Jesse Juarez faces Ricky Rainey at welterweight.
