The heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions take center stage at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma, for Bellator 121 on Friday.
Austen Heidlage and Phelipe Lins are two undefeated light heavyweights who are set to scrap in the co-feature as part of Round 1 of the light heavyweight tournament.
Two well-traveled heavyweights in James Thompson and Eric Prindle will meet in the co-feature. That could be an explosive encounter.
Here's how you can watch the entire card.
When: Friday, June 6 at 9 p.m. ET
Where: Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma
TV: Spike
From a pure excitement standpoint, Bellator 121 has a tough act to follow. Bellator 120 featured the much anticipated Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal and the return of Tito Ortiz to mixed martial arts competition.
Based on those events, the show was a tremendous success with a reported buyrate of more than 100,000, per Sherdog.com.
While Bellator head man Bjorn Rebney wouldn't confirm the numbers, he did seem happy about the reception of his company's inaugural pay-per-view event.
Per Luke Thomas of MMA Fighting, Rebney said:
I won’t be discussing specific PPV buy rates, but what I can say is that with one of our main events falling out just seven days before our first PPV, a six figure plus buy rate is a good starting point. But, it’s just that, a starting point. My focus is to continue working with our partners at Spike to create the type of big event experience that we created on the 17th.
The star power isn't there this time, but Rebney and Co. can only hope the action makes up for the lack of household names.
Here's a look at the entire card and predictions for each fight.
| Matchup | Prediction |
| Ray Sloan vs. Jamelle Jones | Sloan by KO |
| Bubba McDaniel vs. Matt Jones | McDaniel by submission |
| Joe Vedepo vs. Cortez Coleman | Coleman by decision |
| Stephen Banaszak vs. Treston Thomison | Thomison by KO |
| Rodney Wallace vs. Kelly Anundson | Anundson by decision |
| Carlos Eduardo vs. Egidijus Valavicius | Valavicius by decision |
| Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Terry Davinney | Sokoudjou by KO |
| James Thompson vs. Eric Prindle | Thompson by submission |
| Austen Heidlage vs. Phelipe Lins | Heidlage by submission |
Card per Bellator.com, picks per Brian Mazique
Sokoudjou vs. Davinney
Sokoudjou looks the part of a world-class mixed martial artist. He's a chiseled 5'10" light heavyweight who also possesses better-than-average athleticism and technique.
For whatever reason, he hasn't been able to reach the potential most believe he has. At 30 years old, he can't be called an up-and-comer anymore.
He's like a 205-pound version of the UFC's Melvin Guillard.
Mike Whitman of Sherdog talked about the ascending state of Bellator's light heavyweight division, and what Sokoudjou's prospects might be if he can win:
Bellator’s light heavyweight division has taken large strides in the last year, and big-name fights could await the Team Quest rep if he can string together a couple of wins. I have a feeling that several questions surrounding Sokoudjou’s prospects could be answered when he meets 17-fight pro Terry Davinney.
Sokoudjou needs to come up with some statement wins to advance his career. He has lost his last two fights, and Terry Davinney will be looking to make it three in a row.
Davinney is also on a two-fight losing streak.
Needless to say, there's a bit of desperation involved in this fight, and that should make for an explosive ending. Sokoudjou's speed should be the determining factor. Davinney's style is aggressive, and that will play into Sokoudjou's hands. Look for Davinney to run into a hard counter shot and another defeat via KO.
Thompson vs. Prindle
There's almost no way this fight doesn't end in a stoppage. When two guys this big and strong step into the cage, there are usually fireworks.
Just because there's a stoppage doesn't mean it'll be a KO or TKO.
In fact, expect a submission victory for James Thompson. Three of his last four wins have come by tapout, and he has seemingly abandoned his more reckless, all-or-nothing style in favor of more grappling.
That's a good thing for him, because he's fallen victim to some of the most humiliating knockouts in MMA history. Alexander Emelianenko, Butterbean and Brett Rogers have all knocked out Thompson.
Eric Prindle doesn't have the grappling prowess to keep Thompson off him. Ultimately, "The Colossus" will gain top position and finish his opponent via ground-and-pound or submission.
Lins vs. Heidlage
These two undefeated light heavyweights could put on the best fight of the night. Austen Heidlage is a 24-year-old American submission specialist. Six of his seven wins have come by submission, and he'll likely be looking to make Phelipe Lins tap out as well.
Lins' stand-up game is solid, but his takedown defense will get a major test from Heidlage.
It's a test he more than likely won't pass. Heidlage is a whirlwind who may not stay in Bellator long. He has excellent skills as a mixed martial artist that might ultimately lead him to the UFC.
Just for Friday night, it'll be enough to submit Lins.
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