April is a big month for mixed martial arts, with three promotions putting on events this month, and cards every single weekend. Kicking things off is Bellator 95 on Thursday, April 4th. This card is the “season finale” for the promotion’s debut on Spike, and a number of interesting fights will be available for the fans’ viewing pleasure.
At the top of the docket is Bellator’s featherweight champion Pat Curran defending the 145-pound title for the second time. After his split decision win over Patricio Freire at Bellator 85, Curran has positioned himself as a fighter to watch within the promotion. In his tenth bout he will face Shahbulat Shamhalaev, who has been very impressive on the road to this position.
Shamhalaev is 12-1-1 in his four-year career, and has shown a penchant for knocking his opponents out, as 8 of his 12 wins have come from some form of knockout. None of his Bellator victims have been able to hear the final bells of their respective fights, as Shahbulat has finished everyone he has faced within the promotion. While Curran will be the toughest competition that the Russian fighter has competed against, his style may pose problems for the champion, who has gotten into trouble with strikers due to his counterpunching style. The main event has the potential to catch people off guard and shouldn’t be missed at all.
Brett Cooper and Doug Marshall have pushed their way through the middleweight tournament and look to give fans an exciting culmination to this season. Both men are heavy hitters who’ve finished opponents up to this point in the tournament, but may have a hard time finishing each other. Marshall is a former WEC champion, while Cooper has proved to be an extremely tough out, prevailing even while being put in dangerous positions in each of his bouts. This may be considered the fight of the night when Bellator 95 is over.
Featherweights Mike Richman and Magomedrasul Khasbulaev are both looking to shore up a featherweight title shot as they face off in the featherweight tournament final and co-main event of the evening. Just as in the middleweight final, both of these fighters know how to finish bouts and both have the opportunity to put this bout away in highlight reel fashion.
Three former UFC fighters will also be on the Bellator card, as Karo Parisyan, Dante Rivera, and Tom DeBlass debut for the organization against Rick Hawn, Lyman Good, and Carlos Brooks respectively. Standing out is Hawn vs. Parisyan, which looks to be a technique battle between two high-level Judokas who have begun to antagonize each other through online outlets.
With 13 planned bouts for the card, Bellator 95 is shaping up to be a good event, and a great way for the mixed martial arts community to start off an action-packed April.
Bellator 95 will take place on April 4, 2013 at Ovation Hall inside Revel Resort & Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
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