Bellator 87 Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort, Mount Pleasant, Michigan Thursday, January 31, 2013 Lightweight Quarterfinal Fight: Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (-250) vs. Guillaume DeLorenzi (+190) Fight Breakdown: The main event of Bellator 87 is a lightweight tournament bout between Patricky “Pitbull” Freire and Guillaume DeLorenzi. Freire opened as a -250 favorite (bet $250 win win $100) while DeLorenzi comes in as a +190 underdog (bet $100 to win $190). Freire (10-4) is an extremely aggressive fighter who has racked up eight stoppage victories in 10 career wins. A veteran of Bellator, he’s only gone a mediocre 3-3 in the promotion but keep in mind that those losses are to Eddie Alvarez, Michael Chandler, and Lloyd Woodard. The last time we saw Freire in the cage was at Bellator 76 last October, when Alvarez knocked him out with a head kick. Coming off that KO loss, it will be interesting to see where Freire’s head is at: Will he be more motivated and come out of the gates at 100 miles per hour as he usually does? Or will he be less aggressive than he used to be in order to protect his chin? It’s a good question, and we won’t find out until the fight, but I do think he’s going to be a little more hesitant and patient than we normally see him. DeLorenzi (10-1) is a Canadian prospect who make a successful return to MMA after two years away from the sport when he submitted Jonny Carson in his Bellator debut last November. Prior to stepping away from the sport, DeLorenzi was on a roll, defeating a number of veteran fighters on the Canadian regional circuit although he did have a minor setback against UFC veteran War Machine. Still, DeLorenzi, who has nine finishes in his 10 wins, is a very powerful lightweight and he’s stated that all the time away from the sport has made him hungrier than ever, and I expect him to go out there this Thursday night and show why Bellator is giving him a headlining spot. Fight Prediction: Bellator booked this fight as the main event because it’s going to be exciting. Both men are going to be hungry to win here, but I think that DeLorenzi is going to surprise and he’s going to shine, as he’ll take out “Pitbull” with a TKO to move onto the next round of the lightweight tourney. Adam’s Pick: DeLorenzi via TKO (click for latest MMA odds) Adam’s Recommended Play: Maybe it’s my Canadian bias here but I’m taking a small stab at DeLorenzi to pull off the upset. He’s a solid prospect and I’m fading “Pitbull” a bit here after his last fight, so at +190 I have to pull the trigger.
