Bellator 103 Date: October 11, 2013 Arena: Kansas Star Arena City: Mulvane, Kansas Lightweight title bout: David Rickels (-505) vs JJ Ambrose (+335) Fight Breakdown: Bellator 103 will feature a three-round non-title lightweight bout between promotional veteran David “Caveman” Rickels and JJ “Superman” Ambrose. Rickels is the favorite here at -505 ($505 to win $100), while his opponent Ambrose is the underdog at +335 ($100 to win $335) at Several Bookmakerss. DAVID “CAVEMAN” RICKELS (14-2 MMA, 6-2 Bellator) is coming off a first round knockout loss to Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 97 just two months ago. He did not have a chance to get anything off against Chandler, as the fight did not even reach the one-minute mark. Up until that moment, Rickels had been on a tear in Bellator’s lightweight division, beating up everybody in his path to get to the champion. Now, the bearded 24-year old looks to bounce back into the winning column with a victory here to get him into the next lightweight tournament, so he can make another run at 155 gold. The Kansas native is talented on the feet and has a lot of weapons in his striking arsenal. His ground game is decent; he works a good ground and pound attack and makes good use of his sharp elbows. Rickels’ takedown defense isn’t very good, but he does have excellent conditioning. I expect him to be able to go hard for a full 15 minutes. JJ “SUPERMAN” AMBROSE (19-4-1 NC MMA, 1-1 Bellator) will be making his third appearance in the Bellator cage and he is undefeated in his last three fights, with two second round finishes and one no contest. He is a talented Muay Thai fighter who trains out of Phucket Top Team in Thailand and has the tools to give Rickels fits on the feet. He is an aggressive striker who works great takedowns and has solid wrestling skills. Ambrose is a threat both on the feet and on the mat, as he has the ability to knock you out cold or take you down and submit you, possibly even ground and pound you out. He has a fast lightweight and is effective in everything he does. He is always dangerous when the fight hits the mat, as 11 of his 19 career victories have come by way of submission. To compliment his offensive submission game, Ambrose has solid submission defense, regardless of the fact that three of the four defeats he has suffered as a professional have come by way of tapout. Ambrose generally has good conditioning but he will be at a disadvantage in that department when he steps into the cage against Rickels. Fight Prediction: I see this as being a close back-and-forth battle where both fighters have their moments, but I see Ambrose having more and better moments and silencing the Kansas crowd by upsetting their hometown boy. Gabe’s Pick: JJ Ambrose by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: JJ Ambrose +335
