As season whatever of Bellator trundles on and it becomes next to impossible to watch their events on live on television, the promotion comes to Philadelphia on Thursday with what could be one of the best East Coast cards ever put together. Seriously, with hometown hero Eddie Alvarez taking on UFC vet Roger Huerta and TSMMA superstar Lyman Good defending his belt against wrestling beast Ben Askren, the amount of frenzy expected from the audience will be enough to cause any sharks within a 20-mile radius to spontaneously go into cardiac arrest (note the nearby Adventure Aquarium in Camden: monitor your sharks). And that’s just two fights! Take a gander at the others:
- Wilson Reis vs. Deividas Taurosevicius – Reis was an EliteXC champ and Taurosevicius just went 2-1 in the WEC, so we’re going to see high-level jiu-jitsu clash with high-level toughness. Expect Reis to get TKO'd trying to pronounce his opponent's name.
- Rick Hawn vs. Levon Maynard – Hawn is some kind of judo stud with an undefeated MMA record and Maynard is a rock-solid veteran with a ton of fights. Watch for Hawn to get on top of Maynard and try to play the “facial reconstruction” game.
- Lester Caslow vs. Kenny Foster – Teen-pop sensation Caslow of Pellegrino MMA has got the tools to get the job done wherever the fight goes. Foster, meanwhile, is a Bombsquader with an aggressive and relentless all-around game. This one could end with a spinning back-kick, a flying triangle, or with a spirited debate where Caslow and Foster discuss politics. I just don’t know!
- Jamal Patterson vs. Tim Carpenter – Patterson is a Renzo Gracie black belt with a mean arm-in guillotine and Carpenter once came out to a fight preceded by a short dude in an American Revolution costume ringing a bell. Weird, right? I think it’s a Philadelphia thing or something.
- Luiz Azeredo vs. Ed Guedes – Apparently eager to get in as many fights as possible before Christmas, Azeredo enters the cage for about the eighth time in a month to take on Guedes, an Armory ground-and-pounding badass. Azeredo may be an accomplished jiu-jitsu guy with top-level experience, but Guedes is the kind of fighter you want to be at 100% for, not worn down to about 17% peak ability.
- Tuan Pham vs. Nick Cottone – Pham is a heavy-handed striker susceptible to grappling and Cottone is a master lay-and-prayer who usually wants no part of the stand-up game (he often crawls from the locker room to the cage to avoid kicks to the head). This one is either going to end with a colorful knockout, or with Cottone pretending to be Pham’s favorite down comforter.
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