There were many story lines coming out of the much anticipated Bellator 138 event on Friday. Who should Kimbo Slice face next after his peculiar victory against Ken Shamrock? Did Michael Chandler warrant a title shot with his dominant victory? How big of a step up in competition should Bobby Lashley take?
Here at Last Word on Sports, we look into our crystal balls and predict how the match-makers at Bellator are going to plan out the next fights for the big winners of the event.
Here is LWOS Books the Fights for Bellator 138:
Kimbo Slice vs. Seth Petruzelli
Kimbo Slice showed that he had enough skill to beat Ken Shamrock. That still puts him as a big underdog against most of the Bellator heavyweight fighters. The man that stopped the Kimbo Slice hype train all the way back in 2008 was in attendance for the fight, and was screaming for a rematch.
It would make the most sense for Bellator from a promotional standpoint, and would garner a crazy amount of viewers. Petruzelli would be stepping out of retirement after losing two straight fights by knockout. Neither of these guys should be fighting at their age and talent level, but if both are committed to fighting once more, this is the only fight that makes sense.
Patricio Freire vs. Winner of Pat Curran/Emmanuel Sanchez
At 27 years old, a 24-2 record, seven straight wins and a whole lot of knockouts, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is the best fighter that Bellator has. He has showed that even when in trouble, he’ll find ways to win, and in spectacular fashion.
Freire won his Bellator Featherweight Championship by defeating Pat Curran by unanimous decision. Only a few years prior Curran defended his championship successfully against Freire, winning by split decision. A rubber match would bring a conclusion to the trilogy, but if Emmanuel Sanchez can get the upset over Curran, then it would make sense to give Freire a new challenger.
Michael Chandler: Winner of David Rickels/John Alessio
Chanlder spoke to Last Word On Sports before his fight against Derek Campos. He said that his goal is to get back his Bellator Lightweight Championship, and that a statement win would do a lot to help him on that path. A quick first round submission did just that, as Chandler showed why he is one of the best lightweights in the world.
Chandler will most likely have to win one more fight before he gets another title shot, and the winner of next week’s fight between David Rickels and John Alessio would be an interesting challenge. Alessio has trained with Chandler and expressed hesitance in fighting his friend, but if a title shot is on the line, Alessio might reconsider.
Bobby Lashley: James Thompson
Bobby Lashley did not look sensational against Dan Charles, but he did what he was suppose to do in getting the stoppage victory. Lashley hasn’t proven that he is ready to take on the top heavyweights of the division, so booking him in the fight that was suppose to be at Bellator 138 makes the most sense.
James Thompson is Lashley’s last loss, and both fighters have been on long winning streaks since the fight in 2012. A win for either fighter would give them a nice boost up the heavyweight ranks.
Daniel Straus: Daniel Weichel
Although matchmakers like to pair up recent winners with other recent winners, Daniel Weichel proved on Friday that he has the potential to play spoiler. Daniel Straus has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights, and needs to get a win streak going if he wants to reclaim the Bellator Featherweight Championship.
This match-up makes sense timing wise as both fighters competed at Bellator 138. It also makes sense for Weichel as a win over Straus would give him two wins over former featherweight champions.
