Thiago Alves
Thiago Alves vs. Papy Abedi
The Preview: The matchmaking in this fight is quite interesting, to say the least. Abedi is a decent prospect with an undefeated 8-0 record, but he’s never faced anyone remotely as dangerous as Alves. Rarely does a debuting prospect face the kind of talent Abedi is up against here.
Alves, however, finds himself against the wall. Once one of the top welterweights in the world, Alves has fallen sharply over the past two years, constantly underachieves and now finds himself on the verge of a possible release from the promotion. In Abedi, Alves is facing a fighter he should beat handily, and if he doesn’t, well, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him plying his trade in the next Bellator welterweight tournament.
Abedi could have a decent career in front of him, but this matchup doesn’t play well into his strengths. Expect Alves to use his leg kicks to set up a fight-ending knockout punch at some point in the first two rounds.
The Pick: Thiago Alves
Terry Etim vs. Edward Faaloloto
The Preview: Like so many other bouts on this card, this is a matchup designed solely for the local crowd. Faaloloto, while having one of the more interesting surnames in mixed martial arts, is incredibly overmatched in this fight. He’s here simply to lose to the local favorite.
Etim’s striking game isn’t the best, but it doesn’t have to be, does it? His biggest strength (submissions) serves as Faaloloto’s biggest weakness, and you can expect him to exploit that handily on the way to a submission victory.
The Pick: Terry Etim
Cyrille Diabate vs. Anthony Perosh
The Preview: It’s unfortunate that Paul Taylor was injured in a car wreck this week, because his bout with Anthony Njokuani was the fight I most wanted to see on this entire card. In its place we get this bout between a mostly unknown fighter in Diabate and a guy who is best known for stepping in on late notice for a battering loss to Mirko Cro Cop.
Diabate’s length and striking ability will overwhelm Perosh here. In truth, Perosh isn’t a UFC-caliber fighter and wouldn’t even be fighting on this card if he hadn’t put up such a rugged effort against Cro Cop. Diabate should exploit the many holes in Perosh’s game early and often, and he’ll win this one by knockout.
The Pick: Cyrille Diabate