Bellator MMA keeps the weekly action going on Friday with Bellator 102. This show kicks off the tournament to crown another heavyweight contender to challenge Alexander Volkov. Just like last week at Bellator 101, the promotion has brought in fighters recently sent away from the UFC, but this time they are have not been placed into apparent squash matches as the lightweights were. Cheick Kongo and Lavar Johnson are, on paper, the best two heavyweights in the tournament draw.
Kongo is 3-2 in his last five fights and coming off of a knockout defeat at the hands of Roy Nelson at UFC 159. The French athlete was well known as a striker throughout his UFC career, putting together some captivating stoppage wins in the Octagon. However, towards the end of his run, he seemed to move completely away from that game while playing very little defense, which allowed him to be knocked out twice in less than a year.
Kongo will make his debut against 8-1 Mark Godbeer, who is also stepping into the circular cage for the first time. This English fighter is known mostly as a striker, as six of his eight wins have come by some form of knockout. The style matchup leans towards striking, so it will be interesting to see if Godbeer has the experience to land a shot to Kongo’s chin, which has seen its better days.
On the other side of the bracket is another former UFC heavy hitter in Lavar Johnson. “Big” was recently cut from Zuffa employ after a failed drug test at UFC 157. That, coupled with his bad performance against Brendan Schaub, had him packing his things for Bellator. There isn’t any secret what the 36-year-old fighter is planning to do every time he steps into competition, and he doesn’t want it any other way. With 15 knockout victories to his name, fans should keep a close eye on this fight to see if he adds to that number.
His opponent, Vinicius Kappke de Queiroz, is another former UFC competitor who will fight this weekend, but it will be his third time performing for Bellator MMA, where he has gone 1-1. After a one-fight stint in the Octagon, Vinicius was shuttled off from Zuffa. At 30 years of age he holds a meager 6-3 record, with all six of his wins coming by a form of stoppage. Johnson has shown a weakness to fighters who can take him to the ground, so do not be surprised if the Brazilian fighter looks to get this fight to the mat, and get it there quickly.
Bellator 102 is a card that Bellator MMA has put together with hopes that it creates highlight reel knockouts. Since the heavyweight division is their weakest weight class, both Johnson and Kongo were placed in matchups where they will be overwhelming favorites. Still, anything can happen with heavy-hitters in four-ounce gloves, and the last few weeks of Bellator cards have provided some good fights, so this event should not be overlooked or dismissed.
• Lavar Johnson vs. Vinicius Queiroz – Season 9 HW tournament semifinals
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• Mark Godbeer vs. Cheick Kongo – Season 9 HW tournament semifinals
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Bellator 102 will take place on October 4, 2013 at the Visalia Convention Center in Visalia, California.
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