· Bellator 38 Preview: Light Heavyweights Look To Impress

· Article author: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Posted on 03/25 at 10:07 AM

This Saturday evening Bellator Fighting Championships will open their highly anticipated light heavyweight tournament from Harrah’s Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. While the eight participants in the tournament might be unfamiliar names to most fans, chances are, by the end of this tournament at least one will be more widely known. The event will air live on MTV2.

Tim Carpenter (6-0 MMA, 1-0 BFC) vs. Daniel Gracie (5-2-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC)
Daniel Gracie certainly has the biggest last name in the tournament, and with it comes the pressure of being the fans pick to make it through to the finals. However, he is being matched up with tough Philadelphia product Tim Carpenter. Carpenter is undefeated, but has spaced all six of previous fights out over five years. In his Bellator debut this past October, Carpenter went to a hard fought split decision win over Jamal Patterson.

Gracie continues his comeback to the sport looking for a step up in competition. The former Pride and International Fight League veteran took four years off from competitive MMA before returning this past November with a submission victory over Martin Wojcik.

D.J. Linderman (8-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Raphael Davis (10-1 MMA, 2-0 BFC)
In what could be the best fight of the night, D.J. Linderman will face off with Raphael Davis. Linderman, dropping down from heavyweight, should have a distinct power and strength advantage over Davis. However, Davis, a slick submission artist that has competed twice before for Bellator, could neutralize that size advantage if he can get Linderman down. Expect this fight to end before the 15 minute mark, as both men will be looking use an impressive performance to catapult them through to rest of the tournament.

Richard Hale (15-3-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Nik Fekete (4-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC)
Arizona native and Rage In The Cage veteran Richard “Rare Breed” Hale is the most experienced fighter in the tournament, stepping in with a 15-3-1 record. Hale is a good well-rounded fighter and has the potential to end a fight in flash either on the feet or on the ground.

His opponent, Nik "The Machete" Fekete, is the least experienced and possibly the smallest fighter in the tournament. Although he is a long shot to win the tournament, Bellator officials knew what they were doing when they booked Fekete. He is a bright prospect training out of a great camp (Xtreme Couture), and has the athleticism and stand up skills to make any fight a war. Fekete was won his last two contests by knock out.

Chris Davis (10-2 MMA, 0-0 BFC) vs. Christian M'Pumbu (15-3-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC)
Chris Davis is made for television. None of the 29-year-old's bouts have ever made it to the judges’ scorecards and only two of his bouts have made it out of the first round. Davis comes into every fight with an all-or-nothing attitude, looking to finish his opponents at the first sign of an opening. His only two losses have come by way of submission to BJJ black belt Vinny Magalhaes and 100-plus fight veteran Jeremy Horn.

France’s Christian M’Pumbu has been a regular on the international circuit, competing for M-1, Deep, and KSW. While M’Pumbu may argue that he is not a submission fighter, his eight submission victories tell a different story. M’Pumbu is a good wrestler with improving striking. This fight against Davis should be electric and entertaining as M’Pumbu is looking to bounce back from a disappointing split decision loss to prospect Yoshiyuki Nakanishi in his last outing.