Bellator 149 preview and predictions

By Kaiana Miller
2/15/2016, 4:30 a.m.
Tweet to: @Slickster_Mag

If nothing else, Bellator’s Friday night event will be entertaining. In the main event, two legends of the sport will meet for a third time when Royce Gracie takes on Ken Shamrock. The co-main event features what is essentially a street fight with 6 oz gloves when Kevin Ferguson, affectionately known by most fight fans as “Kimbo Slice,” faces off against Dhafir “DaDa 5000” Harris. With that, lets get to picks for the main and co-main events.

Ken Shamrock vs Royce Gracie (betting odds even)

In what could potentially be the oldest main event in organized MMA history, 52-year-old Ken Shamrock faces off against 49 year-old Royce Gracie. These men have fought two times already; once way back at UFC 1 in 1993 where Gracie won by submission, and then again two years later in 1995 which ended in a draw. Both men prefer the fight to take place on the ground, where they can utilize elite grappling to submit opponents. 35 of the combined 42 wins from both fighters have come by way of submission.

Shamrock last fought back in June of 2015 after almost five years away from the sport, losing via TKO to Kevin Ferguson who fights in the co-main event on this card.  He has won only two of his last 10 fights dating back to 2005. Early in his career, Shamrock was known for his speed and ability to drive through opponents to get the takedown. Now, at age 52, father time and multiple knee injuries have certainly caught up to him. The explosiveness that was once his trademark is no longer there. Never known for his striking abilities, Shamrock has been TKO/KO’d in each of his last nine losses. Size will most likely be Shamrock’s greatest advantage in this matchup, as he could weigh as much as 30 pounds more than his opponent on fight night.

Royce Gracie makes his return to fighting nearly 9 years after his last fight, a decision win against Kazushi Sakuraba. The 49-year-old is looking to potentially hammer the last nail in Shamrock’s coffin with a quick win on Friday. Gracie is, of course, from the legendary Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu family that first started the UFC. Gracie began his MMA career with one goal in mind, to prove that the smaller man can beat the bigger man with proper training, specifically in BJJ. Royce accomplished this goal when he won his first 11 fights, all by submission, before drawing with Shamrock. It remains to be seen whether or not Gracie has anything left in the tank, or if he can even take a punch anymore after nine years away from the sport.

Prediction: If he is smart, Shamrock will try and use his weight to keep the fight standing and attempt to test the chin of Gracie. On the contrary, Gracie will do whatever it takes to get this fight to the ground where he feels that he has an extreme advantage, despite all of Shamrock’s grappling accolades. Gracie will as deadly as ever once the fight gets to the ground. Shamrock will land a solid punch or two in the opening minute, but Gracie eventually gets this fight to the canvas and submits Shamrock in their trilogy fight. Royce Gracie by first-round submission is the pick.

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson (-400 favorite) vs Dhafir “DaDa 5000” Harris (+300 underdog)

The co-main event for the night provides a stark contrast to the main event as two glorified brawlers will step into the decagon to settle a long feud over who the king of the Miami streets is. To this date, Ferguson is the only person known as a street fighter to successfully merge into big time MMA. He claims that Dhafir Harris has tried to copy his look to try and get what he has. Harris on the other hand, says that he went to school with Slice for their entire childhood and that Kimbo betrayed his city when he turned professional.This should be a quick fight, with both men throwing every punch with bad intentions.

Kimbo Slice fought his first professional fight in 2007 under the EliteXC banner. After competing on ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ reality series, he fought twice inside the UFC before being released by the organization. He dabbled in boxing for a few years before fighting in Bellator for the first time last year. Throughout his career, Ferguson has been known as a one dimensional power puncher. When his opponents have been able take him to the ground, Ferguson has provided little resistance. However, in his last fight against the aforementioned Shamrock, Ferguson was able to successfully defend against a tight arm triangle before standing back up and knocking Shamrock out. Still, his one glaring weakness is his grappling abilities (or lack thereof).

Harris, for all intents and purposes, will be fighting in his first professional MMA fight this Friday. He is technically 2-0 as a pro, but in organizations with no merit. Harris style is essentially the same as Ferguson’s, swing punches until you eventually knock your opponent unconscious. “DaDa 5000” is more famous for his starring role in Netflix’s “Dog Fight” documentary, and a claim on the world’s worst hair style, than he is for his fighting ability.

Prediction: With DaDa 5000’s only advantage being size, nothing should be expected of him here. If anybody attempts to wrestle it will be Ferguson. That shouldn’t happen though, as bad blood fuels an all out brawl. After a couple minutes of carnage, Kimbo will hurt Harris and everything after that will be but a formality. Kevin Ferguson wins by TKO in the first round, and in doing so stakes his claim as the baddest man from Miami.