Bellator 116 is live today from Temecula, CA, with a preliminary card that will be streaming live on the Bellator website, as well as at Spike.com starting at 7pm ET. Here are my plays for the preliminary card… Brandon Halsey (-350) vs Joe Pacheco (+250) Gabe’s Prediction: I think this fight is a lot closer than the odds suggest. Pacheco has a decent chance at edging out a decision, or even locking up a submission. I am picking Halsey to win, but for a bet, I am going with Pacheco for the value. Gabe’s Call: Halsey by Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Joe Pacheco (+250) 1u to win 2.5u Joe Taimanglo (-120) vs Rob “The Saint” Emerson (-120) Gabe’s Prediction: The betting odds for this bout are at a near coin-flip, with both fighters being -120. Taimanglo is an athletic and powerful fighter who fights with an aggressive style, preferring to move forward and push the pace. He is pretty fast, and well-rounded. He attacks well offensively, both on the feet and on the mat, and defends just as well. Emerson is a former lightweight who has dropped two weight classes and is now competing in the bantamweight division. The Ultimate Fighter season 5 veteran has a good chin, and excellent submission defense. He also has knockout power, and great submission defense. For those reasons, and the fact that he will have a size advantage heading into this bout, I favor him to win. I think Emerson will take down the Guam native and work his ground and pound, while searching for submissions. Whether he finds a finish or the fight goes all three rounds, I think there is a good chance that the UFC veteran gets his hand raised tonight. At -120, I believe there is enough value in the 32-year old to warrant a wager. Gabe’s Call: Emerson by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Rob Emerson (-120) 1.8u to win 1.5u Karo “The Heat” Parisyan (+220) vs Ron Keslar (-300) Gabe’s Prediction: I think Keslar is being way over-hyped and over-valued in this fight. I feel Parisyan could beat him without giving his best effort. I personally think he should be the favorite, so I love the fact that I am getting him as such a big underdog. Even at this stage in his career, Parisyan is by miles the superior fighter. Not to mention he is still fairly young, being only 31 years of age. In fact, he is younger than his opponent Keslar, who is 33 years old. I think Parisyan will use his superior grappling to take this fight to the mat, and control it there. I could see him ending this fight inside the distance, or taking a clear cut unanimous decision from the judges. Gabe’s Call: “The Heat” by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Gabe’s Recommended Play: Karo Parisyan (+220) 3.5u to win 7.7u
