Bellator MMA returns Friday night with its second show of 2015, as Bellator 133 emanates from the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. When former Strikeforce boss Scott Coker took over Bellator last year, he promised more exciting matchups and that’s exactly what’s in store for Friday’s main event as Melvin Manhoef faces off with Alexander Shlemenko. Aside from the headliner, the rest of the card features a rising prospect and a pivotal fight in the featherweight division.
Here are five reasons to watch Bellator 133.
Can Manhoef handle “The Storm?”
With 56 knockout victories between the two of them, Friday’s main event between Melvin Manhoef and Alexander “The Storm” Shlemenko in all likelihood should produce another highlight-reel finish. The former K1 star Manhoef is coming off a devastating knockout loss to current Glory standout Joe Schilling this past November. Shlemenko meanwhile is coming off a win in his native Russia in December, but had previously suffered two first-round submission losses to Tito Ortiz and Brandon Hasley (where he lost his Bellator middleweight title). It’s no secret both of these fighters will want to keep this on the feet and it’s just a matter of who lands their fists first for the knockout. With Bellator’s middleweight division in dire need of contenders, the winner of this matchup would be situated nicely in the 185-pound title picture.
Featherweight Contenders Collide
Former Bellator 145-pound champion Pat Curran makes his return to the cage as he squares off with Season 10 featherweight tournament winner Daniel Weichel. Curran lost his title to current Patricio “Pitbull” Freire last September and looks to avoid the first two-fight losing streak of his career. German fighter Weichel might be one of the most underrated featherweights in the world and holds wins over current Titan FC featherweight champion Desmond Green and previous Bellator tournament winner Magomedrasul “Frodo” Khasbulaev. It’s no secret Weichel will look to take this contest to the mat as he holds 21 submission victories in 42 career bouts. Curran has only been submitted once in his career and hasn’t been finished in a fight since 2009. The winner of this matchup will likely get the next shot at Freire.
Canadian Content
Canadian Juila Budd looks to push her winning streak to five straight as she battles 24-year-old Gabrielle Holloway. The B.C. native last saw action in Invicta back in December when she won a unanimous decision over fellow Canadian Charmaine Tweet. Layoff aside, Budd has only lost twice in her career and that was to UFC champion Ronda Rousey and UFC bantamweight Amanda Nunes. Her opponent, Holloway, is a late replacement for Talita “Treta” Nogueira who had to withdraw from the contest. With Budd finishing four of her six career wins, don’t expect this one to hit the judges’ scorecards.
Prospect Watch
Undefeated Chris Honeycutt, a protégé of current UFC standout Josh Koscheck looks to extend his winning streak to six straight as he battles fellow undefeated lightweight Clayton MacFarlane. Honeycutt last saw action in the Bellator cage last September when he knocked out Aaron Wikinson in the second round at Bellator 125. MacFarlane, a veteran of Xplode Fight Series, makes his promotional debut and looks to win his fifth straight bout. Expect this fight to end in a finish as neither fighter has fought to a decision in their respective careers.
Friday Night Fights
One bonus with Bellator MMA events is that Canadians can actually watch the event live on cable. It can often be difficult for Canadian fans to watch smaller MMA promotions such as World Series of Fighting, Titan FC or Legacy FC due to a lack of television coverage and the geo-block restrictions for live streaming of American events in Canada. That’s why Bellator 133 is something to look forward to here in the “Great White North.”
Here is the full fight card:
MAIN CARD
— Melvin Manhoef (29-12-1) vs. Alexander Shlemenko (50-9)
— Pat Curran (20-6) vs. Daniel Weichel (34-8)
— Julia Budd (6-2) vs. Talita Nogueira (6-0)
— Chris Honeycutt (5-0) vs. Clayton MacFarlane (4-0)
PRELIMINARY CARD
— Nick Bustamante (2-0) vs. Luis Jauregui (2-1)
— John Paul Elias (2-0) vs. Cody Sons (0-1)
— Jonathan Contrestano (4-0) vs. Ryan Tobar (3-1)
— Ray Cervera (8-2) vs. Adam Piccolotti (4-0)
— Art Arciniega (14-4) vs. Charley Huston (6-2)
— Blake Watkins (4-0) vs. George Zuniga (3-0)
— Paul Ruiz (5-2) vs. Nicolas Sperling (3-2)
— Tom Cook (1-1) vs. Mason Fowler (1-0)
