Bellator 101 Date: September 27, 2013 Arena: Moda Center at Rose Quarter City: Portland, OR Lightweight bout: Alexander Sarnavskiy (-490) vs Marcus Davis (+390) Fight Breakdown: The Bellator 101 main card features a lightweight opening round fight between an up and coming prospect and a veteran of the sport, as the 24 year old Russian, Alexander Sarnavskiy takes on the always tough Marcus Davis. Sarnavskiy is currently the big favorite in this match-up at -490 ($490 to win $100), while the return on the big underdog Davis is +390 ($100 to win $390) at Several Bookmakerss. ALEXANDER SARNAVSKIY (23-1 MMA, 3-1 Bellator) will be stepping into the Bellator cage for the fifth time and will be looking to make it four in a row, as he has his sights set on Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez and the winner of that fight. Sarnavskiy is a talented striker who can knock opponents out with any of his limbs. He prefers to strike, but is equally skilled on the ground, and his ground-game has made a bigger impact in his MMA career thus far, as he has won 13 of his 23 professional career victories by submission, and only six of them by knockout. The young Russian is undoubtedly a finisher, as 19 of his 23 wins have come by way of finish. Sarnavskiy is a well-conditioned fighter who is capable of going to war for a full 15 minutes. This will be his toughest challenge since his Bellator debut against another veteran in Rich Clementi, a fight which he lost by Unanimous Decision. We will see if he still has the same holes in his game as he did during the Clementi fight, or if he has made major improvements in his game. MARCUS DAVIS (22-9-1 MMA, 0-0-1 Bellator) is undefeated in his last three fights and he has his eyes set on the $100,000 prize which will be awarded to the winner of the tournament. With a big heart and his eye on the prize, Davis will be a tough out for anybody, especially at 155, as he is cutting back down from the welterweight division. He is a skilled fighter, all around. He has solid boxing skills and possesses serious power in his hands, especially for a lightweight. At 40 years of age and being a 14-fight UFC veteran, Davis believes he still has something else. Now, with the support of his family and friends behind him, he is dedicated to get past the 24-year old everybody is counting him out against, and continuing on his path to collect his prize and earn a title-shot. Davis will enter this bout having an experience advantage over Sarnavskiy, but he will without a doubt be at a cardio disadvantage. Fight Prediction: I can’t help but see this as being an ugly close fight, similar to Sarvavskiy vs Clementi. I could see Sarnavkiy knocking Davis out or subbing him, and I could also see Davis catching the Russian in a guillotine, but more often than not, I think this goes to the scorecards, and the 24-year old likely gets the nod. Gabe’s Pick: Alexander Sarnavskiy by Split-Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Over 1.5 rounds -170 for 3.5u and Marcus Davis +390 for 1u
