Bellator is back at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, December 9, for the Bellator 289 fight card. Two of the top three fights on the card are the semi-final round bouts of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix. In the main event, interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots faces Danny Sabatello. Before that 135-pound scrap goes down, Magomed Magomedov and Patchy Mix meet in the other bantamweight grand prix semifinal bout. Between those two 135-pound contests is the co-main event scrap. In that contest, women's flyweight champion Liz Carmouche faces the woman she took the belt from, Juliana Velasquez in a rematch of their April matchup, which Carmouche won via fourth-round TKO.
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Can Raufeon Stots hold onto his Bellator interim bantamweight title?
In the simplest of terms, the main event of Bellator 289 is a wrestler vs. wrestler matchup. Both Raufeon Stots and Danny Sabatello have solid collegiate wrestling backgrounds. Stots was a two-time Division II NCAA champion during his college years, while Sabatello was a three-time Division I qualifier.
However, this is an MMA fight and while wrestling is important, it's not the only aspect of the sport to worry about in this matchup. As a complete package, Stots is the superior fighter in this contest. He has good takedown defense, solid jiu-jitsu and a comfort in the striking department that Sabatello lacks. That's not to say Sabatello isn't a live underdog in this matchup, he is. However, in order for him to prevail, he's going to need to score a lot of takedowns and rack up significant ground control time. Since Sabatello's prowess is not in ground striking, but preventing his opponent from generating offense while the fight is on the mat, it could be hard for him to score points in this matchup.
I expect Stots to be aggressive in this matchup. His goal will be to put pressure on Sabatello, forcing him to fight off his back foot and keep him from launching any takedown attempts. Neither of these fighters is an enormous knockout threat. With that, the best bets in the Bellator 289 main event are Stots to win via decision and the fight to go the distance.
OSB prediction: Raufeon Stots to beat Danny Sabatello.
Will Liz Carmouche go 2-0 against Juliana Velasquez?
The first meeting between Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez ended in controversy. Velasquez, who was the champion — and undefeated at 12-0 — entering the contest, took the rare step of appealing the fourth-round stoppage to the athletic commission. The commission denied Velasquez's appeal. The ex-champ gets her opportunity at revenge in the co-main event of Bellator 289.
Carmouche is physically stronger than Velasquez and she can use that strength to dominate against the cage and on the ground. Her best bet in this fight is to use her kicks to force the action to the fence. From there, Carmouche can strike in close, or even better, get the fight to the mat. With that, Velasquez needs to set the pace and direct where the action takes place. The former champ needs to use her jab and move forward and be aware of where she is at all times in the fight.
Velasquez is the better striker at distance. I think she will do all she can to avoid the mat in this rematch. With that, the best bets for the Bellator 289 co-main event are Velasquez to win via decision and for the fight to go the distance.
OSB prediction: Juliana Velasquez to beat Liz Carmouche.
Who will move on to the Bellator bantamweight grand prix finals?
In the first Bellator bantamweight grand prix semi-final bout on this card, the 19-2 Magomed Magomedov faces the 16-1 Patchy Mix. Magomedov is coming off a fourth-round submission win over Enrique Barzola in his quarter-final contest. Meanwhile, Mix defeated Kyoji Horiguchi via decision in his quarter-final matchup.
This is a very interesting fight and one that hardcore fight fans are excited about. These two are very evenly matched. Both are excellent on the ground, but I think Mix is the better pick in this fight.
Neither of these fighters is a great striker, but Mix is the better of the two in that department. What stands out the most about Mix is his ability to take the back of his opponent and dominate from that position. I believe that will be the difference in this fight.
The best bets in this fight are Mix to win via decision. However, of the three fights discussed here, this might be the riskiest bet. With that, if you favor Magomedov, by all means, go with your gut on that pick. However this bantamweight scrap turns out, it should be entertaining and it will set up a great final-round matchup in the Bellator bantamweight grand prix.
OSB prediction: Juliana Velasquez to beat Liz Carmouche.
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