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Main event
Dantas competes in his 12th Bellator bantamweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Joe Warren (13).
Dantas’ 10 victories in Bellator bantamweight competition are the most in divisional history.
Dantas’ four-fight Bellator winning streak in bantamweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
Dantas competes in his seventh Bellator title fight, tied with Pat Curran for the second most in company history behind fellow ex-champ Michael Chandler (nine).
Dantas’ five championship-fight victories in Bellator competition are tied with Chandler and former longtime titleholder Ben Askren for most in company history.
Dantas is one of six fighters in Bellator history to become a two-time champion in a single weight class.
Dantas has earned his past four victories by decision, the longest stretch of his career without a stoppage.
Darrion Caldwell
Caldwell returns to competition for the first time since Dec. 3, 2016. The 307-day layoff is the longest of his more than five-year career.
Caldwell is 4-1 since he dropped to the Bellator bantamweight division in May 2015.
Caldwell has earned all four of his Bellator stoppage victories by submission.
Co-main event
Daniel Straus (24-7 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) is one of six fighters in Bellator history to become a two-time champion in a single weight class.
Straus competes in his 15th Bellator featherweight bout, the second most appearances in divisional history behind Patricio Freire (17).
Straus’ 10 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind Freire (14).
Straus has suffered six of his seven career losses by stoppage.
Emmanuel Sanchez (15-3 MMA, 7-2 BMMA) has earned nine of his 15 career victories by decision. That includes six of his seven Bellator wins.
Remaining main card
Pat Curran (22-7 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) returns to competition for the first time since May 20, 2016. The 504-day layoff is the longest of his more than nine-year career.
Curran is 11-3 since he dropped to the Bellator featherweight division in June 2011.
Curran’s nine victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied for third most in divisional history behind Freire (14) and Straus (10).
Curran has suffered six of his seven career losses by decisions. That includes all four of his Bellator defeats.
John Teixeira
John Teixeira (21-2-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) has earned all four of his Bellator victories by decision. Three of those wins came by split decision.
Joe Taimanglo (23-7-1 MMA, 6-3 BMMA) is 4-2 since he dropped to the Bellator bantamweight division in April 2014.Comment -
Combat press previews and predictions - https://combatpress.com/2017/10/bell...d-predictions/Comment -
Going to be on Caldwell and the Over 2.5 in Curran/TexieraComment -
MMA mania -
135 lbs.: Eduardo Dantas (20-4) vs. Darrion Caldwell (10-1)
There are two fighters to me who personify the phrase “speed kills” -- UFC Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and Bellator Bantamweight champion Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas. Both have a speed edge over their competition that is almost impossible to beat. Both strike effectively and are nowhere to be found when their opponents throw counter shots. Both are incredibly well conditioned and have the cardio to go round after round in lengthy title fights. Presenting them with a No. 1 contender is simply another chance to answer the question: “Are you faster than me?”
Normally for Dantas the answer is “no,” but we have seen a crack in his armor on just one occasion. Even though he has lost four times overall, Joe Warren is the only man to beat him in Bellator MMA so far. How did he do what hasn’t been done by anyone else in 11 fights? WRESTLING. Whether you love him or you hate him, even his haters can admit Warren is one of the best wrestlers in mixed martial arts. Warren may not have been faster with his hands or his feet, but so long as he could get Dantas to engage at close range, he could change levels and find those takedowns. Even in this case Warren just squeaked by and won three rounds to two. A few years later Dantas got his revenge in a decidedly more one-sided fight.
What does this mean for “The Wolf” Darrion Caldwell? Well as a former NCAA national champion at 149 pounds, Caldwell can make a case to say he’s the younger (29) faster and stronger version of Joe Warren. Half of his wins (five out of 10) come by decision, showing he’s more than happy to punish opponents by slamming them to the mat, then using groundwork to pound out a grueling victory. His Achilles heel is also his wrestling, though. Caldwell drives so hard on his takedown attempts that he often leaves his neck exposed, and Joe Taimanglo caught him in the act for one of 2016’s more shocking upsets. Even though Caldwell would avenge that loss he gave Taimanglo multiple chances to submit him a second time to a shocking degree.
Dantas hasn’t submitted anyone since 2014, but Caldwell can ill afford to take that chance and give Dantas the chance to apply a guillotine. Caldwell has been given the ultimate Catch 22 scenario -- he can beat Dantas with wrestling if he can catch him, but in trying to catch him he could expose himself to another devastating submission. Caldwell has one other problem -- he’s injury prone — which caused him to withdraw from this fight once before. Can Caldwell come in anywhere close enough to 100 percent for the bout? He’s got to be stronger, and faster, and make less mistakes than Dantas. He needs a nearly perfect fight, while Dantas just needs to do what he’s already done in four straight fights. Advantage: Dantas.
Final prediction: Eduardo Dantas retains the title via unanimous decision
145 lbs.: Daniel Straus (25-7) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (15-3)
At this point I think we can all be happy Daniel Straus is not fighting a man named Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. The series of encounters they’ve had is epic, but having only one victory in four attempts means Freire has his number. That’s bad news for the former two-time Featherweight champion, because to get a fifth fight with the current champion, he’s going to have to be even more impressive now than at any point in his career so far. He doesn’t just need wins, he needs dominant spectacular wins to prove it’s worth Bellator running it back one more time.
The upside is definitely on the side of “El Matador” Emmanuel Sanchez. He’s younger (27 vs. 33), he’s taller (5’9” vs. 5’8”) and he’s got a clear reach advantage (71” vs. 67”). His only loss in his last six fights comes against Daniel Weichel, and a two fight win streak over tough opponents like Georgi Karakhanyan and Marcos Galvao suggest that’s a problem he’s solved. If there’s a huge knock on Sanchez it’s that he tips scales heavy on a fairly regular basis. Bellator can make this a catchweight fight if they need to, but they shouldn’t have to because if Sanchez wants to be a contender he needs to prove it both on the scale and in the cage with the former champion.
Final prediction: Emmanuel Sanchez takes a unanimous decision in Oklahoma
145 lbs.: Pat Curran (22-7) vs. John Teixeira (21-2-2)
Another former champion steps into the fray in Thackerville on Friday night -- the man who took the title back from Straus in a rematch of their first encounter. Since that time Curran’s career has been 2-2, but the latter two are wins over the aforementioned Sanchez and the always dangerous Karakhanyan. One more quality win has him knocking on the No. 1 contender’s door. Only a seasoned veteran like Daniel Weichel or a hot young prospect like A.J. McKee would have a better argument than a two-time champion on a three fight win streak over top divisional foes.
Yes that does mean I’m qualifying Teixeira as a top foe for Curran. He’s only lost once in five Bellator fights and that was to the aforementioned Weichel. Getting bogged down in the “MMA math” of who can beat who by who they beat is an unreliable way to pick fights, and all of these men have common opponents. Let’s look at the tale of the tape instead. Teixeira is 5’7” with a 68” reach. Curran is 5’10” with a 73” reach. Both men are 30 years old. There’s only a four fight difference between them in total number of bouts. Curran has 12 finishes (five knockouts, seven submissions) and Teixeira has 14 (four knockouts, 10 submissions). I consider that a push in three out of five categories, but a significant edge for Curran in size and reach. My mind’s made up.
Final prediction: Pat Curran wins this fight via technical knockout
135 lbs.: Joe Taimanglo (23-7-1) vs. Leandro Higo (17-3)
Leandro Higo is a bit of a disappointment to me. He came in as a replacement for Caldwell to fight Dantas with an outstanding record and eight straight wins. Unfortunately Higo missed weight and ended up in a non-title bout. Even though Dantas clearly dominated the contest one judge scored it for Higo anyway which is even more frustrating. Fight fans should expect Higo to prove himself if he wants to stick around in Bellator’s competitive Bantamweight division. He’s finished 14 of 20 fights (70 percent) and needs a performance like that against Taimanglo to earn his spot.
Taimanglo is a seasoned and underrated veteran with over 30 fights under his belt including the aforementioned career defining victory over Caldwell. “The Juggernaut” finishes over half of his wins by submission (12 of 23) and will seize any opportunity he gets to tap you out. There’s one big problem for Taimanglo though and it’s his size. He’s a 5’4” fighter with a 65” reach going against a 5’8” fighter with a 72” reach. The four inches in height could be irrelevant, but the seven inches in length is definitely not. Higo doesn’t knock people out very often (three times) but it’s very hard to not picture him tagging Taimanglo often. Remember we started out with the premise that “speed kills” and Taimanglo just isn’t that quick. He’s called “The Juggernaut” because he packs a lot of muscle into a small frame, which makes him dangerous if he puts you in a squeeze but slower on his feet overall.
Final prediction: Leandro Higo gets his first Bellator win via knockoutComment -
Kevin Lee weighs in initially at 156 lbs. Doctors clear him to try to cut the extra pound. He's got a little less than an hour to do it. Did not look too happy or healthy on the scale.
Oops wrong thread sorryComment -
looking forward to Dantas V CaldwellComment -
I'm just hoping this is a live event this time on Spike and not delayed.. Can anyone confirm this for me?Comment -
Going Dantas by decision hedged Caldwell ITD...Originally posted by THE_LOCKSMITHComment -
Yes Jibby, the event is a live coverage on SpikeComment -
Thanks bro..Originally posted by KalouKalou
I'm glad to hear that.. That means I will probably be posting live during the event then...Comment -
Are you confident? How much do you bet on it?Originally posted by JIBBBY
I rarely watch Bellator, but I have time tonight.Comment -
Well nothing is ever guaranteed in any MMA fight but Dantas is a points fighter and has gone to decision in most of his recent fights. Calwell likes to finish fights and usually does.. So yes I'm confident it probably goes one way or the other...Originally posted by KalouKalou
I'm out $200 bucks on Dimes if neither hits..
$100.00 $323.00 Pending 10/6/17 10:30pm MMA Props Fighting 3005 Caldwell wins inside distance +323* vs Not Caldwell inside distance
$100.00 $291.00 Pending 10/6/17 10:30pm MMA Props Fighting 3011 Dantas wins by 5 round decision +291* vs Not Dantas by 5 round decision Comment -
My only bet is Straus (-115) 1.15u to win 1u.Comment -
Shiit I'm watching this Indians game now.. I gotta DVR Bellator good luck fellas..
I got Higo ITD, Pat Curran Straight, Sanchez by decision and the above hedge play for the main event...
Check back in later if I get caught up...Comment -
Teixeira hurt his right foot kicking Curran's knee with that last attempted leg kick in rd 2.Comment -
LOL, totally forgot Bader was the Bellator LHW champ until i saw that promoComment -
Did Pat Curran win?Comment -
fukin straus
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Straus sucks assComment -
Straus terrible fight IQ. Initiated grappling with the superior grappler over and over when he was winning the fight on the feet.Comment -
Never taking him again. No brain.Originally posted by Sanity CheckComment -
Come on give the champ the decision.. I think the final rounds was all Dantes.. This commentator is high.. Round 3, 4 and 5 I had Dantes edging it..Comment -
Well I bombed this Bellator event except for Pat Curren.. Yipes.. I think this might be first Bellator loss of the year.. I guess I was do.. Oh well..
Wrasslers rule I should have known..
UFC tomorrow night that's when the big money starts rolling.. See ya then.. Sorry if any of guys tailed my plays in this event.. I got this card wrong with the prop plays for sure...Comment -
2-0. Was not confident at all on that Caldwell decision until I heard 50-45.Originally posted by turbozed
Hope this is the start of a good weekend since I got a lot of action going on UFC 216.Comment -
^^ Good work Turbs!!!
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I lost on dantas and straus. penetrate that card.Comment
