Bellator XIV Preview

Bellator's first show of the second season had some great fights, but ran into some viewing difficulties as the fights were tape delayed in some areas a couple of days and completely pushed off the radar in certain regions due to different coverage.  Assuming things go smoother for the second show in the Second City the fans will have the opportunity to watch some excellent fights with some top prospects on the card.  Let's take a quick look at the four tournament fights and explore who these fighters are.

 SBN coverage of Bellator XIV

Ben Askren vs. Ryan Thomas: Askren is probably the most well known "prospect" this season thanks to his amateur wrestling career.  Askren attended the University of Missouri where he won two NCAA titles which eventually led him to wrestling for the US of A in the 2008 Olympic Games.  Ben has trained out of American Top Team, but now spends most of his time in Arizona with Arizona Combat Academy.

Ryan Thomas is a former UFC fighter and despite going 0-2 in the promotion he still fought at the highest level of the sport.  So, it would normally be surprising that Bellator would have him face Askren in the first round.  However, Thomas is no dynamic striker and is more of a submission fighter.  Askren is simply a better wrestler and his striking deficiencies will probably not come in to play.  My best guess is Askren has developed enough submission defense and makes his way through this first round match up.

Wilson Reis vs. Shad Lierley: Reis was probably the favorite in the Season 1 Featherweight Tournament before being upset by eventual winner Joe Soto.  While Lierley is only 5-2, his two losses are to Chris Horodecki and Wagnney Fabiano so not the worst losses in the world.  However, they are similar fighters and Reis is a better grappler.  This is probably the largest favorite of the night, so watch Lierley end up winning.  In all reality, this is Reis's fight to win in order to earn that rematch against Soto.

Toby Imada vs. James Krause: Imada gained popularity with his submission of the year over Jorge Masvidal in last year's tournament.  He was originally scheduled to face Ferrid Kheder, but visa issues have provided James Krause the opportunity to step up.  Despite going 0-2 in the WEC Krause lost to Cerrone and Ricardo Lamos who are a combined 7-3-1 in that promotion.  Imada is a small favorite and has shown more versatility in his career, but do not be surprised with an upset here.

Pat Curran vs. Mike Ricci: I am yet to see Ricci fight, but he does have some decent pre hype here.  Training out of TriStar Gym with GSP and Firas, Ricci is supposed to be bulging with potential and a well rounded fighter.  Curran is coming in as a small underdog, but does have some name notoriety thanks to his cousin Jeff and the ill-fated Tapout show.  Being a Chicago native will probably provide him with a much larger fan base in family and friends.  We'll see if that has an impact for the small underdog.