The main event of Bellator 138 is getting all of the media’s attention, but it’s the undercard that’s the real reason to care about this event.
When Bellator announced the main event of Friday’s card at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri would be a heavyweight “superfight” between UFC Hall of Famer Ken Shamrock and Internet sensation Kevin Ferguson, a.k.a. Kimbo Slice, we knew right away this would be the fight getting the attention of the media, even though the fight is nothing but a freak show. It’s the kind of fight that is easy to write about, and in an era of cheap link clicks, it’s not a surprise this is the fight that has been written about the most of all the bouts on the card, even though it’s a pretty bad fight between a washed-up 51 year old and a washed-up 41 year old. And sadly, it’s making most people forget about what a solid undercard Bellator has put together.
The co-main event of Bellator 138 is clearly the best fight on the card. It’s a featherweight title bout between champion Patricio Pitbull and challenger Daniel Weichel. Both of these guys are amongst the best featherweight fighters in the game today. Even though he doesn’t fight in the UFC, Pitbull is clearly top 10 in the world at his weight class, and Weichel, though he’s overlooked by basically everyone, is top 25 and maybe top 10 himself – he will be if he beats Pitbull, that’s for sure.
I understand why Bellator decided to feature Slice vs. Shamrock as the main event of this card, but I still don’t agree with it. The best fight on the card is Pitbull vs. Weichel, by far, and it’s also the fight with the most implications as far as titles go. So don’t ignore it, even though it’s not the main event.
In addition to Weichel vs. Pitbull, there are also two former Bellator champions on the card. First is the former lightweight champion Michael Chandler, who takes on Derek Campos in what is basically a fight to get Chandler back on track following his surprising (and somewhat controversial) three-fight losing streak. Chandler isn’t in the discussion of the top lightweights anymore, but he’s still very good, and deserves to get some attention this weekend. Ditto for former Bellator featherweight champion Daniel Straus, who takes on undefeated prospect Henry Corrales. Straus, like Chandler, is stuck in a bit of a losing slump, but like Chandler he’s been losing to elite fighters, and with a big win over Corrales will put himself back in title contention.
In addition to the aforementioned fighters, the Bellator 138 undercard also features the debut of former RFA featherweight champion Justin Lawrence, who previously competed in the UFC. He’s looked great as of late, and signing him was a very shrewd move by Bellator. Plus, former WWE superstar-turned-MMA fighter Bobby Lashley returns to the Bellator cage this weekend. Yeah, he’s never going to be the best heavyweight in MMA, but in a weak Bellator heavyweight division, don’t be surprised if he one day contends for the promotion’s title.
Overall Bellator 138 is one of the stronger cards the organization has put on in a while. Because they’re on the poster and because the event is named after them, Slice and Shamrock are the ones getting all the buzz, but it’s the undercard that’s the reason to check this card out, even if Bellator is refusing to promote it, and even if the media hasn’t picked up on its quality yet.
Bellator 138: Unfinished Business takes place on June 19, 2015 at Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
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