Bellator 197 main-event breakdown: Is Brandon Girtz a live 'dog against Michael Chandler?

MMAjunkie Radio cohost and MMAjunkie contributor Dan Tom provides an in-depth breakdown of all of Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at Bellator 197’s main event.

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Michael Chandler (17-4 MMA, 14-4 BMMA)

Michael Chandler

Staple info:

• Height: 5’8? Age: 31 Weight: 155 lbs. Reach: 69?
• Last fight: Decision win over Goiti Yamauchi (Jan. 20, 2018)
• Camp: Hard Knocks 365 (Florida)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ Former Bellator lighweight champion
+ 4x NCAA Division 1 All-American wrestler
+ 7 KO victories
+ 6 submission wins
+ 9 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Aggressive pace and pressure
+ Improved footwork and fundamentals
+ Dangerous right hand
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Excellent wrestling ability
^ Explosive level-changing takedowns
+ Good transitional grappler
^ Effective ground strikes and submissions
+ 3-0 against Bellator southpaws

Brandon Girtz (15-7 MMA, 7-5 BMMA)

Brandon Girtz

Staple info:

• Height: 5’7? Age: 33 Weight: 155 lbs. Reach: 67?
• Last fight: TKO win over Luka Jelcic (Dec. 9, 2017)
• Camp: Genesis Training Center (Denver, CO)
• Stance/striking style: Southpaw/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:
+ NCAA Division 2 All-American wrestler
+ 3 KO victories
+ 8 submission wins
+ 9 first-round finishes
+ KO power
+ Dangerous check-hook
+ Heavy left cross
^ Coming forward or off the counter
+ Hard left body kick
+ Excellent wrestling ability
^ Explosive level-changing takedowns
+ Strong inside the clinch
+ Underrated submission grappler
^ Works well from topside
+ Good scrambler/positionally aware

Summary:

Bellator 197’s main event features a potential lightweight barnburner between Michael Chandler and Brandon Girtz.

A former king at 155 pounds, Chandler was initially locked in for a rematch with current champion Brent Primus, the man who took his title in an enigmatic outcome in June at Bellator 180. Now, ready to move forward, Chandler will take on yet another dangerous fighter in the Bellator lightweight stable.

No stranger to adversity or short-notice affairs, Girtz was more than willing to step up to the plate for the organization once again. Snapping a three-fight skid with an impressive win over Luka Jelcic in December, Girtz, a Bellator staple, can catapult his career to the next level with an upset win here.

Starting off on the feet, we have a matchup between two men with opposing stances – but not attitudes.

Chandler, an inherent pressure-fighter, can seldom be found taking a back step. Carrying over his athletic ability and explosiveness that he demonstrated as a wrestler on the Mizzou mats, we saw Chandler’s boxing technique make impressive strides in his first Bellator tournament run, helping earn him his first world title.

From his upgraded punch mechanics to little details like rolling under his crosses, it was clear that Chander’s trajectory was upward. And despite a few bumps in the road, the former champion seems to be firing on all cylinders as he continues to improve.

Now, under the tutelage of Henri Hooft, Chandler appears to be furthering his fundamentals and footwork, moving much more fluidly in combination and even adding in leg kicks of his own. That said, the 31-year-old’s aggression tends to lead him into heated exchanges, making the counters of his opponent extra potent.

Girtz, the southpaw, is also a heavy-hitting striker who comes from a wrestling base.

Honing in on the athletic ability and aggression that found him success on the wrestling mats, Girtz has steadily been crafting his striking, sharpening all the tools that are essential to a southpaw. From his hard left kicks to the liver, to his left cross that’s effective both coming forward and off the counter, Girtz has plenty of weapons to fuel his blood and guts style of fighting.

The 33-year-old Bellator vet also possesses a deceptively dangerous check-hook, which is a punch that – from the southpaw stance – counters orthodox aggression quite well. If Chandler fails to find angles around Girtz’s staple attacks, then the stanzas will likely produce more fireworks than already expected.

The temperature of this match could rise even further whenever these two tangle inside of clinch or wrestling exchanges.

Both fighters wield explosive reactionary double-legs, regardless if they are using it in a countering or come-forward fashion. Each man also possess strong hips, and you will seldom see them taken down in the Bellator cage.

Although Girtz does well from ride positions and front-headlocks, the NCAA Division 2 All-American is an underrated submission grappler who has no issue taking an arm or a neck if they become available. Girtz also demonstrates solid positional awareness in the scramble, appearing to be hard to hold down or submit.

Still, he will need to be extra careful when grappling with the likes of Chandler. Well-schooled under the teachings of Neil Melanson (one of the most unheralded high-level grappling coaches in MMA), we have seen the former Mizzou Tiger transform into a fine-tuned transitional grappler.

From submission defense to the small details of fighting inside of someone’s guard, Chandler shows all the fundamentals from hand-fighting to head position, which, of course, opens up the opportunity for him to land his ferocious ground and pound. Not afraid to take a back and close up a choke, Girtz will need to remain mindful any time he looks to scramble back to his feet, especially when considering wrestlers inherently tend to turtle or tripod to stand.

At the time of this writing, there are no odds for this matchup. However, I have to imagine that Chandler will open as a considerable favorite.

Despite the former champion’s aggressive style arising concerns for a portion of his career, he seems to have only improved his training methods and techniques as of late, even showing the ability to fight intelligent and tactical against a dangerous southpaw in Goiti Yamauchi earlier this year.

Girtiz’s power and durability will most certainly keep him a live threat in his fight, but it’s hard not to see Chandler’s speed and skill set keeping him a step ahead. The pick is Chandler to mix things up en route to a dominant decision, with the strong possibility of him producing a late finish in the process.

Official pick: Chandler by decision

For more on Bellator 197, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.