Why I’ll be Watching Bellator 93
In my last post, I mentioned I hadn’t been watching many MMA fights prior to last May. Since then I’ve attended ten shows and watched countless fights on TV, following the guys I’ve interviewed, always rooting them on. Some of the best shows I’ve seen this year have been on Bellator. It was great watching Michael Chandler defend his belt, and Saad Awad surprising everyone as he’s moved through this season’s lightweight tournament with his first minute KO’s. The show has impressed me and the fact that it’s free on Spike is a huge bonus.
I will most definitely be watching Bellator 93 this Thursday. Although I’m bummed I’ll miss the undercard, I’m really looking forward to the televised bouts. The lightweight tournament finals should be exciting with Jansen vs. Held, the winner getting a shot at Michael Chandler. I’m also interested in seeing how Eric Prindle bounces back from his disappointing DQ. The two fights I’m really turning in for are Travis Wiuff vs Ryan Martinez and Marcus Davis vs Waachim Spiritwolf.
I haven’t interviewed Travis yet, but would really like to. Not only are guys that have over 80 pro fights hard to come by, but he and I fought to a decision back in 2003 in Monterrey, Mexico. Don’t ask me why I was stupid enough to take on a guy who was 23-4 without knowing a thing about him. I quickly discovered the guy was a beast. He was the first person to pick me up and slam me in a fight. And it wasn’t just once.
The fight I’m most interested in is Davis vs Spiritwolf. With an impressive boxing career and half of his 30 fights taking place in the UFC, I’ve always enjoyed watching Marcus fight. But it was the two days I spent at his gym in Bangor, ME that really impressed me. Not only is he a great instructor who didn’t laugh at me when my legs turned to jelly during his ‘easy’ workout, he is by far one of the
most interesting people I’ve met on my travels across the country. And I think that says a lot considering I’ve sat with over 250 fighters.
Marcus’ story is pretty amazing and I plan on buying his autobiography when it’s released. Hearing what he went through and where he’s now at in his life is pretty inspiring and I admire his character. I could have spent hours talking to him and feel pretty privileged to learn what I did. Be sure to check out his interview and tune into the fights this Thursday.
