Bellator 214, 1/26: Bader/Fedor, GOAT Pico

[Bernman]

I feel like Bellator may have missed a big opportunity last night. All of the MMA world's eyes were on them but their main card was up and down in terms of interesting fights. After Moose-Lovato went down, they should have jumped quickly to add a Lima-Shlemenko or Pitbull-Chandler as replacement.

And yes, I do really want to see latter fight. I hope they start putting their money where their mouth is. McKee could fight Corrales in the interim. Last night created a storyline. He'd have a chance to avenge a brutal loss by a teammate.

[cowboyronnie]

Cbr and Bern both called it. Bern said don't underestimate corrales and CBR mentioned how Pico leaves himself open with his aggressive style.

Pico might have the best punching mechanics in the sport. He's incredible with that left hook. It's why he chases KO shots with it. But what he gets away with defensively when hitting mitts at Wildcard or in sparring dudes wearing 16 oz gloves, he can't get away with in 4s. You mechanically can't throw the shot Corrales threw when wearing 16oz boxing gloves...at least not that well. So Pico is not used to dealing with it. As a result he sits in the pocket in these fights, like he's in a boxing gym, and expects particular responses from his opponents...and they clip him with subpar shots. That other dude who finished him threw a nonsense uppercut as well.

I think my comments about Pico from the start have been that his style will have him win 3 out of 4 fights in HL KO fashion, and lose 1 out of 4 by the same means. Boxing mechanics will max you out at like .750. In and out of the pocket like Conor or constant pressure like a Diaz (IOW, move the pocket). But standing in there? Please. That his coaches are allowing this is weird. He's been caught in nearly every fight.

[Bernman]

If you're going to have your hands down, get in, and get out. Use lateral footwork and head movement. Don't nonchalantly walk toward a guy with your hands down and then sit in the pocket repeatedly punching him to the body. Most MMA fighters would make you pay for that, let alone a guy like Corrales whose strength is the hook. Pico could have jabbed, leg kicked, and counter td'ed Corrales to death. But he's all about that highlight reel power punch ko, and this time it put him on the other end. Maybe it was a learning experience, but he should have done it the last time it happened.

Bandejas got robbed against Archuleta. I don't get how you win fights holding a guy up against the fence, while landing few strikes, and surrounding you get picked apart. That's some effed up way to score a fight, and it's not the system, rather interpretation of judges. If you try to take a guy down and fail you're losing, and the main criteria is effective striking/grappling, which that ain't. Bandejas was impressive. He didn't over-commit too much, flicked the jab, steered Archuleta toward kicks, fought the hands quickly, kept resisting with the over-under, and showed tremendous balance and explosive to stay on his feet or bounce up. He should be kept right in the mix.

[RonMexico915]

Wait is bader really free agent now? Crazy if true.

He has 1 more fight. Well at least according to him a couple days ago, he said he has 1 more fight after the Fedor fight.

Bellator would be insane to let him go. With that being said, he’ll be in the UFC by mid-year. Hope I’m wrong though

[cowboyronnie]

No way does Bader go back to the UFC. Good God, why? Remember that fight against Anthony Johnson? Bader doesn't want that life.

The dude just won the Bellator tourney without sustaining any damage at all. He's in the twilight of his career, taking no damage, making bank, and with bare drug testing. Bellator will haaave to outbid the UFC too. They can't let a champ-champ go. He's way more value to them, therefore, than he as just another musclebound dude in the UFC, where a lot of fans won't even know he was just a champ-champ elsewhere.

[High 5]

Rumble can't hurt him anymore. He's another Jon Jones suspension away from having his best chance ever at UFC gold. But yeah he'd be crazy to leave Bellator if the money's right.

[REDDzone]

I agree I would stay in bellator if I'm Bader.

That said, the latest LHW title shot was a two horse race between Anthony Smith and Corey Anderson. DC and Rumble are both gone from the LHW division. Gus lost to Jones again. Glover is done.

He'd be pretty valuable to the UFC at this point. LHW is about as deep as Flyweight right now. You can't tell me Bader wouldn't beat a guy like Corey Anderson.

[Duke4life831]

I agree I would stay in bellator if I'm Bader.

That said, the latest LHW title shot was a two horse race between Anthony Smith and Corey Anderson. DC and Rumble are both gone from the LHW division. Gus lost to Jones again. Glover is done.

He'd be pretty valuable to the UFC at this point. LHW is about as deep as Flyweight right now. You can't tell me Bader wouldn't beat a guy like Corey Anderson.

Ya I think UFC is going to offer him a pretty penny once his contract is up. Its a win win for the UFC. You get a legit title fight to give to Jones. You also get to have Jones destroy Bellator's LHW and HW champ. It would give a nice reminder to the casual fan that UFC still reigns supreme. But ya Im sure UFC is going to offer Bader a sizable contract.

[cowboyronnie]

Not a chance. Why drop coin on a B fighter just to let him get murked? They dont want to even mention Bellator's name, him being champ champ wouldn't even feature in their narrative. He's just an old musclebound guy w no personality who may or may not be able to handle USADA.

[cowboyronnie]

Tito Ortiz also beat this champ champ, btw.

[Bernman]

You're a mesomorphophobe.

As RZ pointed out, look at the top of the lhw and hw divisions in the UFC. It ain't pretty. And it wouldn't be the first time the UFC have tried to make acquisitions from Bellator. Here they also couldn't pretend he wouldn't do well, as he did before. Tito was the anomaly, and he pulled off some quality wins after that, both true of Tito and Bader himself.

[REDDzone]

Not a chance. Why drop coin on a B fighter just to let him get murked? They dont want to even mention Bellator's name, him being champ champ wouldn't even feature in their narrative. He's just an old musclebound guy w no personality who may or may not be able to handle USADA.

He's all of those things. But he's also better than the top 3 contenders in the UFC lhw division. Oezdemir, Smith, Anderson. Idk where Gus falls and I also don't know if I would pick him over Bader.