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September 5, 2013

Bellator 98: Shlemenko vs. Cooper Mohegan Sun 9/7/2013 Teaser


Here is a special edition teaser of Bellator MMA.  I figured I would give you all the full preview of the awesome Bellator card coming up this Saturday at Uncasville Connecticut at Mohegan Sun.  I am talking about Bellator 98 which is headlined by Alexander Shlemenko and Brett Cooper for the middleweight title.  In typical Bellator fashion the undercard is stacked with local fighters from all over New England.  Now they will be on Spike.com starting at 6pm this Saturday.  The main card will then be on Spike TV starting at 8pm.  The main card also features Justin Torrey and Perry Filkins from New England as well!  Get your tickets from the fighters or here and of course at the door of the event.  Let me break down the card for you...


Josh Diekmann vs. Parker Porter

Josh Diekmann will take on Parker Porter for the first fight at Bellator.  This is a heavyweight bout and Josh has a record of 12-5.  He has won 8 out of his 12 fights by way of the fist.  His other wins came by submission which is impressive for a heavyweight.  He has lost 3 fights by submission, 1 by decision and 1 by ko/tko.  He will be looking for his 13th win and the quick finish by knockout!  His opponent Parker comes into this fight with a record of 5-3.  He has two wins by ko/tko, 2 by submission and one by decision.  His only 3 losses came to Gabriel Gonzaga, Jon Jones and Gabriel Salinas-Jones.  As you can see they are all beasts.  He hasn't fought since October of 2011 so we will have to see if he is a little cage rusty.  This fight is going to be an awesome heavyweight battle and don't blink folks!

Glenn Allaire vs. Rico DiSciullo

Next up is Glenn Allaire against Rico Disciullo at 135lbs.  Glenn has a 3-1 record and fights out of Providence Rhode Island.  He has two wins by tko/ko and one by submissions.  His one loss  is by way of the fist.  Rico will be making his pro debut against Glenn and he looks better and better.  He is from Team Sityodtong in Boston Mass and will be looking to impress the Bellator staff.  He has some of the best hands in the stacked 135lb division in New England and can also submit.  This is going to be an awesome battle here folks.  Not very often do we have two 135ers face each other who both have great hands.  I think this is going to be stand up war.

Matt Bessette vs. Nick Piedmont

The Mangler Matt Bessette will square off in the cage against Nick Piedmont at 145lbs.  Matt has an 11-4 record and has fought beasts his entire career.  He has 1 ko/tko, 4 submissions and 6 decisions.  He fights out of Connecticut with Underdog BJJ.  This is his 3rd time fighting for Bellator.  He has lost one fight by submission, 2 by decision and 1 NC by illegal knee.  His opponent Nick has an 8-3-1 record.  He is from Tuscon Arizona.  He has 3 ko/tko, 1 submission and 4 wins by decision.  For his losses 1 submission and 2 by decisions.  As you can see this is a real close match up and is a tough one for both fighters as typical Bellator and Mangler fashion.  I feel this one is going to come down to decision and be an awesome battle for the fans.

Andrew Calandrelli vs. Ryan Quinn

Andrew Calandrelli faces off in the octagon against Ryan Quinn at 155lbs.  Andrew is fighting out of CT and trains with Ultimate MMA/Nova Unaio.  He comes into this fight with a 6-3 record.  He has won four fights by submission and the other two by decision.  For his losses he lost 1 by ko/tko and 2 by decision.  He will be looking for win #7.  Ryan is from American Top Team CT and comes into this fight with a 7-4-1.  He won 4 fights by decision, 2 submission and 1 by ko/tko.  For his losses he lost 3 decision and 1 submission.  As you can see they are both very well rounded and they both never give up.  This is going to be a ground battle for sure and I see it going the distance.

Brennan Ward vs. Dave Vitkay

Next fight is between the Irish Bad Boy Brennan Ward and Dave Vitkay at 185 lbs.  Brennan trains at a bunch of schools Whaling City Boxing and Rivera MMA.  He comes into this fight with a 6-1.  This is his 3rd time fighting for Bellator.  He has won four fights by ko/tko, 1 submission and one decision.  His first fight with Bellator he got caught in a submission early in the first round but bounced back in his second fight with a submission of his own.  In fact that was his first submission victory of his pro career!  He is looking for win number 7.  Dave comes into this fight with a 12-12 record and from Georgia.  He has the majority of his wins by submissions.  For his losses he lost 8 of them by ko/tko.  New England fans will remember Dave with his victory over Jesse Peterson. This fight is of course another well matched fight but I gotta give the edge to the Irish Bad Boy with a ko/tko victory in this fight.

Mike Mucitelli vs. Jeff Nader

Mike Mucitelli takes on Jeff Nader at 205lbs.  Mike comes out of New York and has an undefeated record of 5-0.  He last fought Brett Dillingham up in Maine and made it look easy and ended winning that fight by armbar.  He has 4 submission victories and 1 ko/tko.  This is is fourth time fighting for Bellator.  His opponent and good buddy of mine Jeff Nader is also no stranger to the Bellator cage.  He trains with various schools including CCFA and Triumph I believe.  He resides in NH and has a 5-5 record.  He won four of his fights by ko/tko and one by decision.  He lost 1 ko/tko, 2 by submission and 2 by decision.  I see this as a striker versus grappler fight.  Nader will want to keep this one standing and wear Mike down with his striking.  Mike will probably try to take this to the ground and work his ground game.  This is a great showdown for New England and a tough fight for both fighters.

Derek Anderson vs. Patricky Freire

Next up is Derek Anderson against Patricky Freire at 155lbs.  Derek is from Team Xplode MMA and comes into this fight with a 9-0 record.  He has won 3 by ko/tko and 6 by submissions.  This is is first time fighting for Bellator and looking at his career it is no surprise Bellator wants him in their cage.  Patricky is no stranger to Bellator.  He has a 10-4 record and this is his 7th time fighting for Bellator.  He has won 7 by ko/tko, 1 sub and 2 by decision.  He lost 1 ko/tko, 1 sub and 2 decision.  He has lost his last two fights and no doubt does not want to leave this Saturday with 3 losses in row.  This is good fight just like above.  Patricky will want to use his hands and get the victory by way of fist while Derek will want to get this fight to the ground and work his subs.  This concludes the preliminary card and now onto the main event.

Jason Butcher vs. Giva Santana

For the first fight of the main event Jason Butcher takes on Giva Santana for the Season 9 middleweight tournament opening round.  Jason is from Virginia and has a 6-0 record.  He fought up in Maine for his last fight and won that by submission.  In fact 5 out of his 6 wins have come by submissions.  This is his fourth time fighting for Bellator.  His opponent Giva comes into this fight with a 18-2 record.  This is his fourth time fighting for Bellator as well.  Out of his 18 wins 16 of them were won by submission.  He is called the Arm Collector and if I counted correctly  12 of his subs came by armbar.  This fight is going to be a ground battle and all I gotta say is Jason protect your arm.  Jason is very well versed on the ground and this is his toughest fight to date in my eyes.  I can't wait for this one!  As per Bellator usual, winner advances to the next round so they know what is at stake.

Mikkel Parlo vs. Brian Rogers

Next up is Mikkel Parlo against Brian Rogers for the middleweight tournament opening round.  Parlo is from Denmark and comes into this fight with a 9-1 record.   He has won 7 by ko/tko, 1 sub and one by decision.  He lost his last fight by decision and suffered his first loss of his career.  This will be his 3rd time fighting for Bellator.  Brian Rogers has been around Bellator for a while and has a record of 10-5.  He has won 8 by ko/tko, 1 sub and one decision.  He lost two by ko/tko and 3 by decision.  As you can see this fight is two fighters with heavy hands who love to strike.  The fans will be going nuts on this fight and don't blink!  The winner advances to the next round.

Perry Filkins vs. Jeremy Kimball

Next up is NH's Perry Filkins against Jeremy Kimball for the season 9 middleweight tournament opening round fight.  Perry is 7-1 and this is his second time fighting for Bellator.  He has won 6 by ko/tko and one by decision.  His only loss came by decision back in 2011.  He is arguably one of the top fighters in New England and you can see why.  He trains with Team Link NH. His opponent Jeremy has a 10-3 record and is from Colorado.  He won 7 by ko/tko, 1 submission and 2 decision.  Out of his 3 losses he lost 3 by submission.  This is going to be a war!  Obviously I will be rooting for Filthy to get the knockout or ref stoppage.  Stay Filthy!

Andreas Spang vs. Justin Torrey

For the last fight in the season 9 middleweight tournament opening round Andreas Spang faces Justin Torrey.  Andreas has an 8-3 record and fights out of Nevada.  He has fought for Strikeforce and for Bellator.  He has an 8-3 record.  He has won 3 by ko/tko, 3 by submissions and 1 by decision.  For his 3 losses he lost 1 by ko/tko, 1 by sub and 1 by decision.  Justin fights out of Springfield Mass with Fighting Arts Academy.  He has an undefeated record of 7-0.  He has won 6 by ko/tko and one decision.  He hasn't fought since 2010 due to injury I believe so we will have to see if that plays into this fight.  Being from Fighting Arts Academy I don't think this will be a factor.  Being from Western Mass of course I will be pulling for Justin to win this fight by ko/tko ref stoppage.

Joe Warren vs. Nick Kirk

For the co main event Joe Warren takes on Nick Kirk for the bantamweight tournament opening round.  If you don't know who Joe Warren is then you obviously haven't been paying attention to Bellator.  He is a coach on the Bellator Fight Master show and an outstanding wrestler.  He has an 8-3 record and has won 6 of them by decision.  This is his 9th time fighting for Bellator.  His opponent Nick has a 10-2 record.  He also has 6 decisions in his career.  Out of his two losses he lost two by decision.  This is his 3rd time fighting for Bellator.  My prediction in this fight is it is going to decision and Joe Warren will use his wrestling and grind out the decision.

Alexander Shlemenko vs. Brett Cooper

For the main event Alexander Shlemenko takes on Brett Cooper for the middleweight title.  Alexander is from Russia and has an outstanding 47-7 record.  He has won 28 of them by way of the fist, 7 sub and 12 decisions.  This is his 9th time fighting for Bellator and he loves to put on a show.  He has lost 1 by ko/tko, 2 sub and 4 by decision.  He hasn't lost a fight by 2010 and is riding a 10 fight win streak.  He definitely does not want to lose this fight!  His opponent Brett fights out of California and has a 19-8 record.  He won 12 by ko/tko, 2 sub and 5 by decision.  Out of his 8 losses he lost 3 ko/tko 1 sub and 4 decision.  This is his 10th time fighting for Bellator.  His last fight he lost to Doug Marshall by ko in the first round and he is looking to bounce back with the victory.  This is a real close match up as usual for Bellator and if I had to pick I am going to go with the experience of Shlemenko by decision and he will remain champ.

Hope you all had fun reading this teaser of the Bellator Fighting Championship 98 event that will be happening in CT this Saturday.  The Artist and the Boss will be there with the coverage for us.  We will do the live updates here and a full review packed with photos in usual WesternMassMMA.com fashion.  Do you agree with my picks?  Let us know by commenting below.  Take care everyone and good luck to all the local fighters on this card.  Show them what New England MMA is made of and give them hell!