Bellator XVII Preview

Bellator XVII happens Thursday night in Boston, MA and it may be the strongest card (on paper) that Bellator has put out in two years.  There have been some great shows and fights so far this season, but as a fan of MMA I highly recommend turning into Fox Sports at 8:00 PM EST to see some high level talent, top prospects, and potential strong fights.  Fighting at the Wang Theatre are a top ten fighter (Eddie Alvares), two former UFC fighters (Roger Huerta, Josh Neer), last year's Submission of the Year winner (Toby Imada), and one of the top heavyweight prospects in the sport (Cole Konrad).

Non Title Super Fight: Catchweight 160 Pounds

Eddie Alvarez: -225 (SportsBook) vs. Josh Neer: +215 (Diamond, Bookmaker, BetCRIS)

Eddie Alvarez is a top ten ranked lightweight in the world and Neer was just recently bounced from the UFC.  However, what hurts Alvarez most is Gilbert Melendez's recent domination over Shinya Aoki, which makes Alvarez's loss to Aoki look much worse.  In addition, this match is being fought at a catchweight of 160 instead of 155 which provides Neer another advantage because he will be the larger fighter come Thursday. 

However, these are the reasons that the odds are not extreme because this is hands down Alvarez's fight to win.  While it may not be the most exciting strategy, a clear gameplan of taking Neer down and grinding a decision victory is the way to success.  Alvarez might finish the fight, but Neer's mediocre takedown defense and Eddie's strong takedowns should be the difference.  Also, if Alvarez decides to turn this into a boxing match that in no way means a loss for him. 

This x-factor (I hate that saying, sorry for using it) is the importance of the fight.  This is an enormous fight for Alvarez and he has everything to lose.  Eddie is a top ten ranked lightweight and is fighting a lightweight who was just bounced from the UFC.  Similar to Aoki's loss to Melendez making a statement about Japanese MMA, a win for Neer further states how much stronger the fighters in the UFC are.  If Eddie losses to an average former UFC fighter, then how could he fare with the best of the best.  On the other hand, Neer is fighting with near nothing (pun intended) to lose.  He is the underdog, he is not the champ, and Bellator is not his promotion.  This could definitely have an effect on the fight.

SBN coverage of Bellator XVII

Lightweight Tournament: Second Round

Roger Huerta: -800 (Bodog) vs. Pat Curran: +550 (5 different sources)

Roger Huerta vs. Eddie Alvarez is what Bellator wants and why they paid Huerta six figures.  Most likely they will get their wish.  Curran did upset his first round opponent, highly touted prospect Mike Ricci, with a hook that sent Ricci to floor, but do not expect the same here.  Huerta is too much of a dynamic fighter and has a stronger skill set than Curran in most areas.  Now Huerta did have some struggles at the end of his UFC run losing to Florain and Maynard, but those are two of the top lightweights in the world and Curran is obviously not there (at least "not yet" to be kind). 

Huerta is not known as a fighter who gets finished or makes mistakes to leave himself open to get finished.  Because of this I would not expect a repeat for Curran and the longer the fight goes the better chance Huerta has of finishing Curran.  In my opinion, Pat's best chance of victory would be keeping his distance with striking and using his wrestling to gain top control to smother Huerta and limit Huerta's activity level. 

Toby Imada: -115 (Bodog, BetUS) vs. Carey Vanier: +105 (four different sources)

Imada is a journeyman of the sport, but really gained some mainstream attention last year with his inverted triangle submission victory over Jorge Masvidal in Bellator's season 1 tournament.  Toby is back for season 2 and is two wins away from getting his rematch against Eddie Alvarez.  However, Greg Jackson trained fighter, Carey Vanier, is currently in his way.  If you are a betting man (or woman of course) I actually like Vanier here. 

With 36 total fights and 24 wins, Imada is a solid veteran of the sport, but that is probably it.  Imada was an underdog in the Masvidal fight and he was losing that fight until he caught Jorge with that insane choke.  Plus, his first round victory against Krause was a pretty easy task.  Krause was a late replacement who cut around 30 pounds in one week to make weight, not really in the best fighting shape.  This is not intended to be a knock on Imada as I am definitely a fan; I just do not think he is in the upper echelon.

Vanier has a strong wrestling background and fights out of a top camp.  With that wrestling base Vanier will attempt to keep the fight standing and use his power to finish the fight.  He may, depending on his confidence in submission defense, look for a top control finish.  However, Imada is active on his back and if I were Carey I would probably avoid that.  I see Imada struggling to get the fight to the mat and Vanier pulling off the minor upset.

Cole Konrad: -1000 (four different sources) vs. Pat Bennett +900 (SportsBook)

To be honest, all I know about Pat Bennett is that he fights out of team Bombsquad, is 27 years old, male, 6 ft 3in, 235 pounds, and is 1-0 after a TKO victory over Juliano Coutinho at CFX 4.  Thank you mixedmartialarts.com. 

This fight has one purpose, the potential to see Cole Konrad fight.  So instead of pretending to know Pat Bennett I will explain why there is so much hype around Konrad and why the moniker "Baby Brock" has been used (ignoring the fact that a 285 pound man is referred to as "baby").

Imagine Brock's collegiate wrestling credentials.  Well, Konrad's are stronger.  Cole Konrad wrestled at the University of Minnesota and was the most dominant collegiate wrestler over a two year span.  Cole Konrad had perfect junior and senior seasons not losing a match for two straight years and winning National Championships both seasons.  He also won a gold medal at the 2005 Pan American Championships and a bronze medal at the 2006 World University Championships.  We are talking about wrestling elite.  In addition, he trains out of Minnesota Martial Arts and he is a true heavyweight (has to cut weight to get to 265).  Konrad is a potential future star and he is taking his career slow by not moving up the ladder to fast.  Despite the wrestling pedigree he is new to the sport and is currently taking easier fights while he hones his skill set.  Expect a dominate performance Thursday as he continues to generate hype and grow as a fighter.

Note: Konrad does not have Brock's physical appearance and actually looks chubby.  Do not be fooled since this is the same physical appearance that dominated competition for two years in college.