Bellator 47 Picks And Predictions

We’re now only a days away from Bellator 47, which takes place during this weekend’s miniature “Perfect Storm” that sees Strikeforce on Friday and Bellator on Saturday. This event sees both semi-final fights of Bellator’s current Featherweight Tournament, featuring four of the best Featherweights in Bellator. As is customary, here is my official “picks and predictions” post (covering who I think will win and why), now featuring Bellator 47.

Pat Curran vs. Ronnie Mann: This is a very tough fight to call, but ultimately I think it comes down to experience: specifically, experience in fighting big fights in Bellator. Pat Curran knows how to fight big fights in Bellator, and he’s beaten a lot of people inside the Bellator cage. It’ll take his absolute best to beat Ronnie Mann, but I think that’s what we’ll get in this fight. Pat Curran wins by a pretty close but ultimately Unanimous Decision.

Marlon Sandro vs. Nazareno Malegarie: There are three unique ways I see this fight ending, each more likely than the last. In deciding between these three outcomes, I’m taking into consideration that Marlon Sandro is a very experienced international fighter while Nazareno Malegarie is a very good submission specialist.

The first and most unlikely situation that would happen is that Nazareno Malegarie wins by submission in Round 1. As much as I’ve liked watching him fight in Bellator, I think Malegarie’s only chance of beating such a tough veteran like Sandro will be if he’s able to catch him with something in the first round. Part of me thinks that he definitely can do this given his penchant for going for submissions as if his life depended on it, but still, this probably won’t happen.

Another outcome that’s pretty unlikely is Marlon Sandro KO’ing Nazareno Malegarie in Round 1 or 2. Again, it could happen but it probably won’t. Malegarie has a pretty high pain threshold and a very tough chin. Anyone can get KO’d if caught with that one beautiful punch, of course, but I think Malegarie is too experienced to get caught in this fight.

The third and likeliest scenario, which is my official prediction for this fight, is that Marlon Sandro wins by Unanimous Decision. I think Sandro’s cardio and technique are very good, and he’s definitely a better striker than Malegarie. Malegarie may or may not be able to take Sandro down, but Sandro’s too experienced to get submitted. Expect Sandro to win on points in a fight that’s close at times but clearly in favor of the Sengoku veteran.

Neil Grove vs. Zak Jensen: Grove is a tournament finalist in Bellator, and Jensen recently lost three fights in a row. That kind of disparity is really all I need to know when judging this fight. Jensen may be a good fighter, but Grove is simply better. Neil Grove wins by TKO in Round 2.

Chris Horodecki vs. Chris Saunders: I’ve got a good feeling about Chris Horodecki in Bellator. He may have faced some tough losses in the WEC, but he’s also scored a lot of impressive wins in his career. I know relatively little about Chris Saunders, but I do know that Horodecki has a lot of talent and heart. I’m thinking Horodecki wins by Submission in Round 2.