Bellator has been extremely inconsistent with their cards since returning to their weekly schedule. Scott Coker has made the right call to move on from the weekly schedule next year, as the organization simply does not have the roster to sustain such a high volume. In the meantime they’ll put on cards like Bellator 125, which was entertaining but far from top quality MMA. This Friday’s Bellator 127 falls in the same vein. While names like Karo Parisyan and Sokoudjou dot the card, Daniel Straus is far and away the top fighter competing. Straus has not fought anyone other than Pat Curran since October of 2012, so his main event opponent Justin Wilcox will be both a breath of fresh air, and a significant step down in competition. With a pair of grinding grapplers in the cage, the main event may not end up being that exciting, but it should produce a title contender in the near future, especially if Straus picks up the win. The co-main event in a 2014 MMA card on cable TV features Karo Parisyan. Not only does it feature Karo Parisyan, but he may actually win too. That’s almost too much for MMA fans to comprehend given the drastic decline in his performances from his UFC days. Parisyan has showed some signs of life recently however, picking up the only two (T)KO wins of his career in his last two bouts. His opponent, Fernando Gonzalez, was impressive in a victory over Karl Amoussou, but a win over Parisyan would be the biggest name on the former WEC and Strikeforce vet’s resume. The Spike TV card also features a solid bantamweight belt between Rob Emerson and recent Bellator title challenger Rafael Silva. Meanwhile, former Bellator champion Christian M’Pumbu finally drops to 185lbs, but does so against one of the few fighters he won’t have a height advantage over, Kendall Grove. MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened the betting odds for the main card of Bellator 127 today at Several Bookmakers. Check them out: ——————– MAIN CARD (Spike TV, 9pm ET) Daniel Straus -385 Justin Wilcox +265 Karo Parisyan -270 Fernando Gonzalez +190 Rafael Silva -170 Rob Emerson +130 Christian M’Pumbu -120 Kendall Grove -120 ——————– Brad’s Analysis: This is a strange card for betting, and there are no spots I’m rushing to get a ticket in on at the moment. That said, if some of these lines move the way I expect them to, there could be a few interesting plays. Daniel Straus should beat Justin Wilcox fairly handily. He’s the better striker and overall grappler, and Wilcox’s biggest strength — his wrestling — should be something that Straus can offset at the very least, and could even be an area where the former champion has another advantage. Both of these men have a history of going to decision in victory, but Wilcox is much more likely to be finished when he loses, so Straus could take a decision or find a stoppage of some sort here. Even the concerns of Straus fighting with a bad gameplan here (as he didn against Curran the second time) aren’t worrisome, as he should be better everywhere. I’m hoping that people really do think that Karo is back for some reason, because I can see Gonzalez doing the exact same thing he did to Amoussou, and simply outlasting his opponent to a decision. Gonzalez has historically been pretty tough to finish with strikes, and Karo getting stoppages over two fighters with bad chins and worse cardio doesn’t give me any reason to believe he can stop Gonzalez. If Karo would take this to the ground, he’d have a big advantage, but I can’t remember the last time he pursued that gameplan with any vigor. Rob Emerson has been historically underrated. After starting 3-6 in his career (with some very respectable losses), he went on a streak that saw him get into the UFC and begin his career 2-0. Losses to Kurt Pellegrino, Rafael dos Anjos, and Nik Lentz (two of whom are currently ranked in the top 10 in the UFC) saw him bounced from the UFC, and since then he’s gone 7-1 with his lone loss to Justin Salas. Rafael Silva will be one of his tougher challenges since leaving the UFC, but I think he may be able to wear down the big Brazilian and win himself a decision here. Emerson has always been extremely tough to finish, and Silva’s gas tank can be anywhere from passable to downright awful, which makes this a tough play, but I lean towards Emerson and can see the public perhaps being on the other side. In regards to fighters cutting weight, Christian M’Pumbu is one of the few fighters dropping a weight class who shouldn’t raise any red flags. He should have been fighting at 185 for his entire career, and he’ll really only have to drop about 10 pounds to get to the middleweight limit. With that out of the way, Kendall Grove is a good opponent for M’Pumbu to face, as he’s not physically dominant, and has a well-documented history of getting rocked and knocked out. I think the former champ adds another KO to Grove’s resume here.
