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Houston Is Well Represented at Bellator 27

Several Houston area fighters are heading west to San Antonio to fight on the Bellator 27 card this Thursday, September 2nd.  What follows is a brief breakdown of each of the fights that involves a Houston area fighter.

(Houston fighter in bold)

Andrew Craig (1-0) vs. Rodrigo Pinheiro (3-0)

Craig is an outstanding striker and a good grappler who will be facing his toughest challenge yet when he fights the highly regarded BJJ black belt in Rodrigo Pinheiro (3-0).  Craig is a solid blue belt and trains with one of the most highly regarded BJJ trainers in the nation in Travis Tooke, but he'll be out classed on the ground against Pinheiro who is a 3 stripe black belt under Royler Gracie.  Pinheiro, who has numerous Worlds and Pan Am championships on his resume is going to look to get this fight to the ground quickly, so look for Craig to try and keep this one on the feet where he'll have a chance to do some significant damage against Pinheiro.  Craig can finish this fight with one punch, but he’s going to have to avoid the take-downs to have a chance.

My Pick: Pinheiro via Submission Rd 3

Arron Barringer (4-2) vs. Gilbert Jimenez (2-1)

Barringer, AKA The Bad Man is on a two fight losing streak, and things don't look to be any easier as he steps into the cage against Jimenez.  Barringer is a no-nonsense straight ahead fighter who reminds me a lot of an old school Irish boxer by the why he holds his hands and walks forward (that and he smiles when you punch him).  Barringer trains out at Jackson's part time so he's well rounded, but Jimenez is no slouch either standing or on the ground.

The very fact that Jimenez is able to fight again is nothing short of a miracle.  Back in May he was shot in the face during an attempted carjacking in San Antonio.  This will be his second fight since that tragic day, and I think I can speak for the entire Texas MMA community when I say welcome back Gilbert!

My Pick: Barringer via TKO GNP Rd 2

Derek Lewis (2-1) vs. Richard Odoms (0-1)

Derek Lewis burst onto the Houston MMA pro scene with a dominate second round TKO victory over then hot prospect (and former WWE wrestling star) Nick Mitchell.  Lewis lost his next fight but then traveled up to Colorado and claimed the Fight To Win heavyweight title against a heavily favored Ryan Martine.  Bellator has Odoms listed at 0-1, yet Sherdog has him at 1-0. To be honest, I don't really think it matters. Derek Lewis is a diamond in the rough and seems to be improving with every fight.  I've talked to guys who have trained with him and they all say that once he gets some polish to his game, he's got the raw talent and ability to be an elite heavyweight in any promotion.  From what I've seen of him so far I think they're right.

My Pick: Lewis via TKO round 1

Jon Kirk (15-8) vs. Shane Faulkner (4-2)*

Kirk is a wily vet of the sport who has been fighting as a pro in Texas since 2005.  Despite the 8 losses on his record, he's still a highly regarded fighter in the state and is always a tough matchup for his opponent.  Faulkner took four years off form the sport before returning in July of this year. He needed just 25 seconds to beat Jeremy Cross, so rust wasn't (and shouldn't) be an issue.  Kirk can dominate a fight when healthy, and that's key because he's taken several of his fights at less than 100%.  Look for the more experienced Kirk to dictate the pace of the fight but he’ll have his hands full with the much bigger Faulkner.

My Pick: Kirk via Triangle in Rd 2

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I'm told you can watch the undercard fights here , but don't blame me if the link or the feed doesn't work or is less than satisfactory.

Good luck to all the Houston fighters!

*side note: Brain Lightfoot was supposed to face Faulkner but got hurt during training and had to back out of the fight. Get well Soon Brian.