The main event of Bellator 113 is a five-round light heavyweight title fight between interim champ Emanuel “The Hardcore Kid” Newton and Attila “Pumukli” Vegh. The current betting line for the fight at Several Bookmakers lists Newton as a -220 favorite (bet $220 to win $100) while Vegh is a +200 underdog (bet $100 to win $200). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas originally opened up Newton at -165 and Vegh at +125, meaning so far the public has come in on the favorite, Newton. I agree with the line movement as I’m also picking Newton to win the fight. Newton (22-7-1) is the current Bellator interim light heavyweight champion. The 30-year-old is 5-1 in Bellator and is coming off a big upset win over King Mo in which he captured the interim strap. He’s looked absolutely fantastic overall in Bellator, with the lone loss coming via controversial split decision to Vegh nearly two years ago. Since that fight with Vegh, though, Newton has improved immensely and it’s fair to call him one of the top 15 light heavyweights in the world right now. He has very good striking — unorthodox, as well — and he has solid wrestling and BJJ fundamentals, too. He’s also got solid cardio that can carry him a full five rounds. Really, it’s hard to see too many flaws in his game right now outside of maybe being inactive at times, so unless Vegh can find a hole in his game and exploit it, this is Newton’s fight to lose and that’s why he enters as a 2-to-1 favorite. Vegh (29-4-2) is the Bellator light heavyweight champion but he hasn’t fought in over a year due to injuries and also some shenanigans pulled by Bellator so they could book the Newton vs. King Mo rematch. Either way, he is finally making his return to the cage and it’s nice to see him back. The 28-year-old, who is 5-0 overall in Bellator, is a solid fighter in all areas of the game with knockout power, submission ability, and some wrestling. He also has a ton of experience in the game. It’s hard to say what his best gameplan would be against Newton since he matches up very closely to his opponent, but if I had to guess he will look to be the aggressor in the fight and try to either land the knockout blow or outpoint Newton to a decision. But while the judges gave him the fight last time, Vegh is going to have to do it again and this time he needs to make sure he does enough to make it a clear-cut win, because you never know with the judges in this sport and Vegh certainly doesn’t want to leave his belt in the hands of three judges. I think this should be a pretty competitive bout but I do give Newton the edge in the technical striking department and if he can keep the fight in the center of the Octagon, then I think he should be able to use his long-range attacks to keep Vegh at bay, pick up points, and, unlike last time, win the fight on the judges’ scorecards and unify the Bellator light heavyweight title. At -220, it’s tempting to lay a bet on Newton, but ultimately I believe it’s best to play it safe in this spot so I’d say this is a pass situation. Not only did Vegh win the first fight between these two, but because he’s been out for so long we’ve forgot about him and it’s very possible with all the time off he’s improved his game. So while Newton did look great in both the fights against King Mo, it’s just really hard to say how good Vegh is and with those unknowns, I feel like it’s better to pass this fight. The total for the bout has been set at 4.5 rounds and the OVER is -190. I lean that way, although in a five-round fight you never know what could happen. So overall, I think this is just a fight to watch as a fan and (hopefully) enjoy.
