The Bellator Fighting Championships head to Yuma, Arizona this weekend for Bellator 41. Two current Bellator champions will be featured on the card, and as well there will be two semifinal matchups in the Season 4 Featherweight tournament. Rounding out the Bellator 41 main card will be another look at four-time Division 1 All-American wrestler Tony Johnson.
New Bellator Featherweight champion Joe Warren will have a non-title catch-weight fight against Ring of Combat Featherweight champion Marcos Galvao. Warren has been away from the cage for five months but his wrestling pedigree should be a main factor in this fight. Galvao is on a four-fight win streak but will be little threat to submit or KO Warren. We like Warren to win via unanimous decision.
Bellator Bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky will have his hands full when he steps into the cage against undefeated submission specialist Chad Robichaux. Makovsky is an accomplished wrestler with six straight wins, but his two career losses came via submission against accomplished grapplers. Robichaux is a Gracie-trained jiu-jitsu standout with 10 submission wins in 11 fights.
The Makovsky vs. Robichaux fight will not be for the Bellator Bantamweight belt, but it might be an opportunity for an upset payout. Depending on how the lines come in, Robichaux could be worth the upset risk.
Patricio Freire will try to reach the finals of the Bellator Featherweight tournament again this season by beating Wilson Reis in their semifinal. Freire already has a unanimous decision victory over Reis and we expect a similar result in Season 4. Freire should be the safest money on the main card.
The other Featherweight tournament semifinal pits Team Vision standout Daniel Straus against Kenny Foster. Straus has put together an 11-fight win streak and has shown a well-rounded game that can adapt to any opponent. Expect Straus to dominate in every aspect and win via submission or decision.
And you don’t want to miss out on Heavyweight prospect Tony Johnson as he looks to increase his record to 6-1 with a victory over undefeated Carlos Flores. This fight will likely consist of Johnson takedowns and ground-and-pound for a unanimous decision.