[THE_LOCKSMITH]

Spike 9:00 pm ET
Andrey Koreshkov vs Chidi Njokuani
Fernando Gonzalez vs Brennan Ward
AJ McKee vs Blair Tugman
Veta Arteaga vs Bruna Ellen

[KingHawkins]

I think Ward should win, but too risky to fire on for me. Maybe a hundred for fun. But I think there is really good value with Bruna Ellen here. Sadly I can only get +130 right now, hoping it moves in my favor. Over 2.5 rounds in the Chidi fight at -180ish seems like a solid wager also.

[Rich Benjamins]

Interesting, I thought the opposite, that there's value on Arteaga. Arteaga seems to be a level above Ellen with striking, will lite her up on the feet. Why do you think Ellen will win? That she'll get takedowns?

I think Ward should win, but too risky to fire on for me. Maybe a hundred for fun. But I think there is really good value with Bruna Ellen here. Sadly I can only get +130 right now, hoping it moves in my favor. Over 2.5 rounds in the Chidi fight at -180ish seems like a solid wager also.

[KingHawkins]

Interesting, I thought the opposite, that there's value on Arteaga. Arteaga seems to be a level above Ellen with striking, will lite her up on the feet. Why do you think Ellen will win? That she'll get takedowns?

Pretty much, yes. Control the fight with a few takedowns and top control. Possibly even finish. I think she is young and improving, hopefully comes in well prepared and with a good gameplan, and gets the job done against an older fighter.

http://bellator.spike.com/fight/5qa0...-carmela-james

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFJFx3DsfkI

[Rich Benjamins]

Note that Carmela James lost her subsequent 2 fights. And she was competitive against Ellen.

Pretty much, yes. Control the fight with a few takedowns and top control. Possibly even finish. I think she is young and improving, hopefully comes in well prepared and with a good gameplan, and gets the job done against an older fighter.

http://bellator.spike.com/fight/5qa0...-carmela-james

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFJFx3DsfkI

[JC2008]

You guys like Koreshkov?

[Rich Benjamins]

You guys like Koreshkov?

I think Koreshkov should be the favorite, but -300 seems a bit high. Njokuani is quicker than Koreshkov, but Koreshkov has better cage craft and technicals. Njokuani could win this, but likely Koreshkov will pressure him into the cage and get takedowns. Don't think I'd bet this either way, unless someone can persuade me otherwise.

[JIBBBY]

You guys like Koreshkov?

MMA mania -

Bellator 182: “Koreshkov vs. Njokuani” comes to Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y., on Aug. 25, 2017, featuring a main event between “Spartan” Andrey Koreshkov (19-2) against Chidi Njokuani (17-4, 1 NC) that will keep the race for No. 1 contender status in the Welterweight division as tight as ever.
Koreshkov (19-2) had mowed down six straight competitors and successfully defended the title against Benson Henderson before he ran into the bruising hard hands of former 170-pound champion Douglas Lima at Bellator 164 back in Nov. 2016. To date, only one other man has finished the Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) star in a fight — “Funky” Ben Askren.
With a nickname like “Bang Bang,” though, it’s clear Njokuani aims to deliver. And his streak is even longer than Koreshkov’s, remaining unbeaten in nine fights dating back to 2013. Indeed, 58 percent of his wins (10 out of 17) have come by knockout, including a brutal jab that put down Andre Fialho at Bellator 167 in just 21 seconds.
The only knock on Njokuani’s title aspirations is that he’s come in over the contracted weight limit on several of his important fights. In other words, it won’t be enough to beat the former champion in Bellator 182’s main event — he’ll need to beat the scale the day before.

[JIBBBY]

Is anyone one even watching or gonna try to play this card tonight with the Mayweather fight on?

Bellator 182 - Welterweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Resort Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3001 Chidi Njokuani		+255	o2½ -175
10:30PM		3002 Andrey Koreshkov		-310	u2½ +155
Bellator 182 - Catchweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Resort Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3101 Fernando Gonzalez		-110	o1½ +105
10:00PM		3102 Brennan Ward		-110	u1½ -125
Bellator 182 - Featherweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Resort Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3201 Blair Tugman		+1100	o1½ +110
9:30PM		3202 AJ McKee Jr		-1700	u1½ -130
Bellator 182 - Flyweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Resort Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3301 Bruna Ellen		+155	o2½ -320
9:00PM		3302 Veta Arteaga		-175	u2½ +260
Bellator 182 - Featherweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3401 Daniel Pineda		+145	o2½ -175
8:30PM		3402 Georgi Karakhanyan		-185	u2½ +135
Bellator 182 - Featherweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3501 Arlene Blencowe		-140	o2½ -170
8:00PM		3502 Sinead Kavanagh		+100	u2½ +130
Bellator 182 - Featherweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3601 Henry Corrales		+140	o1½ -215
7:30PM		3602 Noad Lahat		-180	u1½ +165
Bellator 182 - Welterweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3701 Marc Stevens		+220	o2½ -185
7:00PM		3702 Ricky Rainey		-300	u2½ +145
Bellator 182 - Middleweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3801 Kevin Casey		+265	o2½ -125
6:30PM		3802 Chris Honeycutt		-385	u2½ -115
Bellator 182 - Light Heavyweight 3 rounds - Turning Stone Casino - Verona, New York - Spike TV
Fri 8/25		3901 Philipe Lins		+180	o1½ -120
6:00PM		3902 Vadim Nemkov		-260	u1½ -120

[JIBBBY]

Bellator write ups -

MMA mania -


175 lbs.: Andrey Koreshkov (19-2) vs. Chidi Njokuani (17-4, 1 NC)
“Spartan” Andrey Koreshkov had finally ascended to the Mount Elbrus-like peak of the Welterweight division. He had been knocked off the summit once before by Ben Askren, who shortly thereafter left the promotion and the title vacant. Douglas Lima capture the belt in his absence, but Koreshkov took it from him at Bellator 140. Both men now seem to be each other’s kryptonite though as Lima took it right back at Bellator 164. If Lima doesn’t lose his title to Rory MacDonald we may see a trilogy fight in their respective futures.
Unfortunately for Koreshkov though Chidi “Bang Bang” Njokuani sees an entirely different future for the Welterweight division. He’s been on an undeniable roll dating back to before his Bellator debut, amassing an unbeaten streak dating back to August 2013 through nine straight fights. He lives up to the “Bangs” in his nickname by banging out opponents, finishing 10 of 17 wins (59%) with knockout power. Standing 6’3” with a 78” wingspan, he’s a Light Heavyweight in a division of much smaller men. He has two inches in height and four inches in reach on the former champ.
Size alone doesn’t make fights. The prize pupil of Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko has proven his mettle time and again in the cage, and when your only career losses are to Askren and Lima there’s no shame in your game. He too has finishing power, knocking out 10 of 19 opponents (53%) and with three submissions to his credit his ground game may be a little underrated. Njokuani can only boast one win by submission and that hasn’t happened since 2010. If Njokuani relies on his size alone to make the difference it could backfire tremendously as the shorter Koreshkov ducks under the punches, double legs him and mauls him on the ground.
Furthermore Njokuani has had two straight fights well over 170 lbs.. He faced Andre Fialho at 175 after missing weight, then agreed to fight Melvin Guillard at a catchweight of 179 lbs. It feels like Njokuani’s size is finally starting to catch up to him. He’s only 28 years but as he gets older making weight for a title fight is going to get much harder going forward. If he comes up short to Koreshkov the only sensible choice may be to move up to 185 and not exhaust himself making such a hard cut.
Final prediction: Andrey Koreshkov takes a unanimous decision

180 lbs.: Brennan Ward (14-5) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (26-14)

If one Welterweight fight wasn’t enough for Verona, how about two? Ward first peaked three years ago at Middleweight, but after a title shot loss to the aforementioned Shlemenko and a humiliating defeat against Tamdan McCrory, the 5’11” fighter decided to try himself at 170 and has found some success there, winning five of his last seven fights. Gonzalez can do him one better though, having his hand raised in six of seven MMA bouts, with the lone blemish being a Michael “Venom” Page fight that was a disappointment for both men.
The bad news for these fighters is that they’re behind the winner of the main event in the pecking order for a title shot, who is himself behind Rory MacDonald, so finding the proper motivation to give it 110% may be a tough task. Despite his excellent high school and collegiate wrestling credentials though Ward has never been a takedown scientist. In fact many of his fights have turned into “f—k it let’s bang bro” affairs. It makes for a very crowd pleasing style and also makes it much harder to predict his fights. A Ward fight can often be “he who lands first wins.”
That’s all of the reason I need to pick Fernando Gonzalez in this fight. He has twice as much experience as his opponent, and he’s not going to be baited into playing the stand and trade game with Ward like some of his other opponents. Page couldn’t get Gonzalez to oblige, so there’s no reason to think Ward will either. Although he’s the smaller man at 5’9” with a 68” reach, giving up a long 7” of fists to tag him with, Gonzalez just needs to stay calm and composed and pick his shots. Unless Ward rushes him fast and catches him off guard at the bell he’ll be fine.
Final prediction: Fernando Gonzalez wins via unanimous decision

145 lbs.: A.J. McKee (8-0) vs. Blair Tugman (10-6)

If you spend any time talking to A.J. McKee he may give you the impression he has a chip on his shoulder, but thus far nobody has come along to knock it off, and natural confidence is one of the best things any athlete can have. Blair Tugman wants to be the one to find the chink in McKee’s armor and use it to knock that chip (or his block) off, but after scoring his third straight win at Bellator 178 via submission, Tugman may have a little bit of swagger in his step right now too.
Tugman is a tall Featherweight at 6’0”, but McKee stands 5’10” so Tugman won’t necessarily tower over him. As the son of outstanding wrestler turned fighter Antonio McKee, young A.J. loves to be flashy but has the pedigree to take down an opponent and grind him out, though that’s only happened twice in eight fights. Tugman’s record until recently has been problematic as well, staying at or near the Mendoza line of having as many wins as losses for much of his career. This could be “the new Tugman” or it could be that his three wins were of lesser caliber than McKee.
Final prediction: A.J. McKee wins via second round TKO

125 lbs.: Bruna Ellen (3-1) vs. Veta Arteaga (3-1)

Rounding out the card we have two Flyweights looking to improve their record in a division looking to crown a champion. Ellen’s only promotional loss came against Jessica “Million Hits” Middleton, while Arteaga lost a questionable split decision to Anastasia Yankova. To move up one must win and one must lose though the spoils for the victor could be a fight with Ilima-Lei Macfarlane or Valerie Letourneau. Both have only one TKO and two decisions so it feels like a coin flip fight. For lack of better defining characteristic I’ll go with Arteaga as the elder fighter (29 to 21) who is more experienced in life if not in pro fights.
Final prediction: Veta Arteaga surprises everyone with a submission win

[JIBBBY]

Combat Press -

Bellator 182: Koreshkov vs. Njokuani Preview and Predictions

Sal DeRose
August 22, 2017
Events, Previews, Spotlight


Bellator MMA will end the summer with a bang, taking a trip to Verona, N.Y., and the Turning Stone Casino for Bellator 182 on Aug. 25.
The headlining welterweight fight could prove to work as a title eliminator. Former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov stands in the way of Chidi Njokuani’s title aspirations. Koreshkov is coming off a championship loss to Douglas Lima in his last fight. The Russian is still probably looking at another win or two before he gets another crack at the title, but the chase is certainly on for Njokuani. “Chidi Bang Bang” is riding an eight-fight winning streak, which includes four victories under the Bellator banner.
The co-main event will also take place in the welterweight division, albeit with lesser stakes. Bellator veteran Brennan Ward seeks to start another winning streak when he faces Fernando Gonzalez. Both men have made a recent habit of occupying the co-headlining spot on the card. Ward was riding a four-fight winning streak before he lost in the first round by leg lock against Evangelista Santos. He won his next fight, but he is now coming off a loss to Paul Daley.
Prospect A.J. McKee Jr. also takes his talents to New York, where he meets Blair Tugman in a featherweight battle. The card will also head to the women’s division for a clash between flyweights Bruna Ellen and Veta Arteaga.
The Bellator 182 preliminary-card action will air live on Bellator.com at 7 p.m. ET. The main card airs live on Spike TV at 9 p.m. ET.
Andrey Koreshkov lost his Bellator welterweight title to Douglas Lima in his most recent fight. Now, the Russian is slated to meet Chidi Njokuani, who has quietly posted an 8-0 mark with one no-contest over his last nine fights. Is this redemption time for Koreshkov, or Njokuani’s time to shine on a major stage?
If Njokuani were to win, it surely would be a shining moment in his career. It could even be the win that gets him into a title shot.
Koreshkov is very good at grinding down guys and beating them, though. He’ll stick with this strategy against Njokuani, who does enjoy a nice striking advantage over the former champ. Koreshkov is known for utilizing his size and strength to get the fight to the mat. This is how he defeated Benson Henderson when the former UFC champion was making his Bellator debut. The Russian is notable for having a loss to Ben Askren. Koreshkov was most recently put away by knockout courtesy of the aforementioned Lima by knockout, and this detail should give some hope to Njokuani.
Njokuani needs to follow Lima’s blueprint. Lima didn’t have a great first two rounds against Koreshkov, but he was able to draw the Russian in and make the fight close. Koreshkov overexerted himself and let Lima dictate the striking. Njokuani has the type of powerful striking that could end the fight at any moment. If Njokuani can coax Koreshkov in, then he has a chance to score the knockout.
How effective will Koreshkov’s takedowns be? The former champ had a very successful takedown in the second round against Lima, but he didn’t do much with it besides trying to drain Lima. Lima switched up his game plan in round three and took the victory. Njokuani needs to control the striking game and try to avoid getting taken down at all costs. That’s easier said than done.
Koreshkov will get a little bit of redemption with the win over Njokuani.
Besides the headliners, which other fighters will we be talking about when the dust settles at Bellator 182?
The easy answer to this question is A.J. McKee Jr.
McKee has long been one of the brightest prospects in all of MMA. Bellator has slowly been building him up, and now he draws Blair Tugman. Tugman, while a good veteran, should provide another easy outing for the blue-chip prospect. McKee has scored the finish in six of his eight victories, including five in the first round. It has been a highly impressive run that has shown a complete martial artist forming in Bellator’s featherweight division. With a win, McKee should receive a decent rise to some better competition on a good path to a featherweight title fight.
Beyond McKee, we also have Brennan Ward, who is out to bounce back from a rocky stretch. Ward hasn’t found his stride in his past three fights, going 1-2 in that span. Prior to this slight downturn, Ward was riding a four-fight winning streak and looked well on his way to challenging for the welterweight title. Ward is going to get a tough competitor in Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez has been pretty good in his run with Bellator. Gonzalez and Ward are two guys who look to finish and will stand and trade shots with each other, so don’t miss this one.
We’ll also make a stop on the undercard to highlight Chris Honeycutt. Honeycutt was — and arguably still is — a top prospect for Bellator. Honeycutt won his first five fights before falling to Paul Bradley at Bellator 148. Honeycutt responded by rattling off three straight victories. Honeycutt isn’t the most exciting fighter, but his wrestling gets him the win rather assuredly. A win here puts Honeycutt in prime position in the middleweight division.
Which fight is the sleeper match-up on this card?
I am always down for a Ricky Rainey fight. Rainey takes on Marc Stevens in the welterweight division on the undercard. The 34-year-old “Sniper” has won three of his four fights in Bellator by knockout, all pretty spectacular stoppages. Rainey always brings it in his fights. His last outing against Gilbert Smith was something of an anomaly where he was unable to finish his opponent inside of three rounds. Rainey should get the job done yet again against Stevens.
Fight Picks

Fight	Pick
Main Card (Spike TV, 9 p.m. ET)
WW: Andrey Koreshkov vs. Chidi Njokuani	Koreshkov
WW: Brennan Ward vs. Fernando Gonzalez	Ward
FW: Antonio McKee Jr. vs. Blair Tugman	McKee Jr.
Women’s FlyW: Bruna Ellen vs. Veta Arteaga	Ellen
Preliminary Card (Bellator.com, 7 p.m. ET)
FW: Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Daniel Pineda	Karakhanyan
Women’s FW: Sinead Kavanagh vs. Arlene Blencowe	Kavanagh
FW: Henry Corrales vs. Noad Lahat	Corrales
WW: Ricky Rainey vs. Marc Stevens	Rainey
MW: Chris Honeycutt vs. Kevin Casey	Honeycutt
Women’s FlyW: Colleen Schneider vs. Kate Jackson	Schneider
WW: Matt Secor vs. T.J. Sumler	Secor
LHW: Philipe Lins vs. Vadim Nemkov	Lins
WW: Tom Regal vs. Kastriot Xhema	Regal
BW: Brandon Polcare vs. Michael Taylor	Taylor
Catchweight (175 pounds): Joey Davis vs. J.T. Roswell	Davis
Women’s FW: Talita Nogueira vs. Amanda Bell	Nogueira
FlyW: Josh Ricci vs. Billy Windrum	Ricci
Women’s FlyW: Jessica Sotack vs. Kristi Lopez	Lopez

[JAKEPEAVY21]

Is anyone one even watching or gonna try to play this card tonight with the Mayweather fight on?

why wouldn't people watch? bellator is tonight and the Conor vs Mayweather fight is tomorrow.

[JIBBBY]

why wouldn't people watch? bellator is tonight and the Conor vs Mayweather fight is tomorrow.

I know.. Just seems like all the focus is on Boxing this weekend and not Bellator MMA.. I had to bump this thread to knock off all the cobwebs...

I'm still capping this event now.. Should have it locked and loaded in the few hours..

[PaperTrail07]

Exactly....I'm watching.....taking Ward and Chidi....

why wouldn't people watch? bellator is tonight and the Conor vs Mayweather fight is tomorrow.

[PaperTrail07]

Feel Like Casey could beat Honeycutt too......hes not that impressive..

[JIBBBY]

Main event is a good one.. Thinking the dog has a chance if the fight stays standing..http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Chidi-Njokuani-25761

[PaperTrail07]

Buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum p

[PaperTrail07]

By Far Chidi's toughest fight....BUT he can hold his own....I lean Koresh as well but at +300 now...I might am small on chidi.....

[JIBBBY]

I think Koreshkov should be the favorite, but -300 seems a bit high. Njokuani is quicker than Koreshkov, but Koreshkov has better cage craft and technicals. Njokuani could win this, but likely Koreshkov will pressure him into the cage and get takedowns. Don't think I'd bet this either way, unless someone can persuade me otherwise.

Yup, my thinking exactly..

[JIBBBY]

AJ McKEE fight odds are a joke.. Going with the Over 1.5 at +110

$100.00

$110.00

Pending

8/25/17 9:30pm Bellator Fighting 3201 Blair Tugman/AJ McKee Jr Over 1½ +110*

Here's why - Working the numbers...

AJ does get most of his wins by KO, 2 of his last 3 fights did finish in the 3rd.. http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/AJ-McKee-194637

On the flip Blair has gone to the distance and or deep into the 3rd round in his last 8 fights. Is the more experienced fighter.. Never been KO'd... http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Blair-Tugman-22846

[JIBBBY]

It's been a while building back up my bet points since zeroing out. Will be more generous in giving them out now.. Was in a stingy faze there for a while fellas.. Finally got up to where I want to be now at 3000 and showing...

[JIBBBY]

Feel Like Casey could beat Honeycutt too......hes not that impressive..

Agreed Paper.. Odds are off.. There are some live dogs on this card.. We could have some serious barking go on..

[Sanity Check]

Chidi missed weight by 4 lbs.

Fernando Gonzales missed weight by 9 lbs.

[Rich Benjamins]

Arteaga seems to me the best bet on the card for the odds. Ellen won her last fight but her opponent was unbelieveably bad. She only threw out weak jabs and half-hearted kicks. But still, Ellen couldn't get the finish. I think Bellator gave her a layup because she's young and pretty.

Ellen leads with her head and throws wide hooks. She'll get chewed up by the fast hands of Arteaga. Arteaga doesn't have great takedown defense but Ellen doesn't go for takedowns much, she starts on the feet. If it's standing, Ellen has no shot to get the best of the exchanges.

[PaperTrail07]

Like it.....McKee is really not that aggressive...his last KO was a fluke IMO...

AJ McKEE fight odds are a joke.. Going with the Over 1.5 at +110

$100.00

$110.00

Pending

8/25/17 9:30pm Bellator Fighting 3201 Blair Tugman/AJ McKee Jr Over 1½ +110*

Here's why - Working the numbers...

AJ does get most of his wins by KO, 2 of his last 3 fights did finish in the 3rd.. http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/AJ-McKee-194637

On the flip Blair has gone to the distance and or deep into the 3rd round in his last 8 fights. Is the more experienced fighter.. Never been KO'd... http://www.sherdog.com/fighter/Blair-Tugman-22846

[PaperTrail07]

My god 9 Pounds LOL..... might not even help him here....could be slower...

Chidi missed weight by 4 lbs.

Fernando Gonzales missed weight by 9 lbs.

[PaperTrail07]

It being a 3 rounds helps Chidi as well IMO....he could win the striking and hold his own in a tie up

[PaperTrail07]

Not the Worst.....

McKee wins by 3 round decision

+300

[PaperTrail07]

McKee's Opp has not been KO's in 15 fights....

[JAKEPEAVY21]

I don't know a lot about Chidi but Koreshkov has fought a much higher level of competition

it looks like Chidi is on a winning streak but I have a hard time seeing Koreshkov losing here especially coming off a loss

[JIBBBY]

Not the Worst.....

McKee wins by 3 round decision

+300

Not a bad idea..

[JIBBBY]

Usually it's law you take the favorites in Bellator, this card I feel it's the opposite for once..

[JIBBBY]

Just hooking my boys up with some bet points. See you guys are running a little low..

[JAKEPEAVY21]

thanks JIBBY and paper

I have been dusting a lot of points in the SBR Casino of late

better than than losing real money but I need to stay out of there

[PaperTrail07]

Joey Davis is a badass..... guy could do big things.....