Bellator champ Rafael Carvalho meets Alessio Sakara in Italy

[Franklin U.]

I don't know how good Carvalho is- based on his 2 fights with melvin, he'll be a significant underdog to Mousasi. If by some chance Sakara pulls upset, a Sakara- Mousasi title fight would be like a boy fighting a man.Ive talked about this ,Gegard would be the biggest betting favorite in the history of combat sports ( we're talking well north of -2000).
His fight with Shlemenlo will be a much tougher fight- Mousasi will be a significant favorite, I just hope he hasn't looked past his opponent like hes done a couple of times during his career.

 

[Deleted member 510653]

I am a big Shlemenko fan but he's not on Moose's level

It just pisses me off that that awesome spinning backfist on Manhoef turned out to be ruined because of Shlemenko's steroid use

I would like to see a rematch between those two after Mousasi wins

And Melvin, he's always been fun to watch but he's been ko'd a lot and is getting up there, I don't see many more years in the fight game for him

Still remember thinking Mel got robbed in the first Carvalho fight as well

Coker is really gonna need to beef up their MW division if Moose is gonna be champ, these title defenses will be too easy imo

They need to get some more UFC mw guys over there honestly

 

[Langinbang187]

Based on what exactly? Carvalho has won 14 in a row. I'm not saying he won't but why is it a guaranteed win for Mousasi? Why do people write off Bellator fighters so quickly? As if Carvalho is some can off the street. I'm not saying he won't lose but I can guarantee he'll make it a fight.

Based on the fact that Moose is a much better fighter than Caravalho. Who has this guy even beaten? Moose is making Weidman look like a can and this guys getting gifted decisions over 500 year old Melvin Manhoef. That fight will not be competitive.

 

[AGEZ909]

Based on the fact that Moose is a much better fighter than Caravalho. Who has this guy even beaten? Moose is making Weidman look like a can and this guys getting gifted decisions over 500 year old Melvin Manhoef. That fight will not be competitive.

Rafael has more than a decent shot to beat Mousasi. I have gegard favored obviously, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Rafael give him a stern test. For someone who catches a lot of shit, Rafael is a decent all around fighter. Has decent fight iq as well

 

[GueseGuy]

Based on the fact that Moose is a much better fighter than Caravalho. Who has this guy even beaten? Moose is making Weidman look like a can and this guys getting gifted decisions over 500 year old Melvin Manhoef. That fight will not be competitive.

Well I mean Mousasi has been fighting since 2003. Carvalho started in 2011. The first time he went 5 rounds was against Melvin in 2016. It was a lackluster decision, then he fought him again a year later and he showed significant improvement and eventually knocked him out. Yeah the odds are ever so strongly in Mousasi's favor, but Carvalho is tall, lanky, and dangerous with his limbs. Anything can happen and there's a reason why he's won 14 in a row and still has the belt. If he wasn't good he would've lost it by now. I find it hilarious how people just write off Bellator fighters like it's easy to become champ there. Believe me, if he sucked, Melvin would've knocked him out. Don't write him off.

 

[GueseGuy]

Rafael has more than a decent shot to beat Mousasi. I have gegard favored obviously, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Rafael give him a stern test. For someone who catches a lot of shit, Rafael is a decent all around fighter. Has decent fight iq as well

He has very good fight IQ. I noticed that in the Melvin fights. Picks his shots very well and knows when to clinch up and doesn't over commit. He also showed significant improvement in the Melvin fights. The first fight was his first time going 5 rounds. The 2nd fight, he paced himself and really picked his shots well and eventually found an opening. That's what good fighters do. He impressed me because he used his brain. That's something a lot of fighters don't do (a la Brennan Ward). He's a good fighter, I don't understand why he doesn't get more love. He's already defended the MW strap twice. One more and he ties Storm's record.

 

[AGEZ909]

He has very good fight IQ. I noticed that in the Melvin fights. Picks his shots very well and knows when to clinch up and doesn't over commit. He also showed significant improvement in the Melvin fights. The first fight was his first time going 5 rounds. The 2nd fight, he paced himself and really picked his shots well and eventually found an opening. That's what good fighters do. He impressed me because he used his brain. That's something a lot of fighters don't do (a la Brennan Ward). He's a good fighter, I don't understand why he doesn't get more love. He's already defended the MW strap twice. One more and he ties Storm's record.

Exactly. We can all agree that the first Melvin fight sucked, big time. The second fight showed me plenty though. He is a fighter who knows how to fight an opposite handed fighter. He circled away from Melvin’s power shots while landing his own body kick and straight left. He threw the body kick for about 4 round then he came up top and finished Melvin in the later rounds. That truly was “how to fight an opposite handed fighter 101” great game plan.

 

[Langinbang187]

Well I mean Mousasi has been fighting since 2003. Carvalho started in 2011. The first time he went 5 rounds was against Melvin in 2016. It was a lackluster decision, then he fought him again a year later and he showed significant improvement and eventually knocked him out. Yeah the odds are ever so strongly in Mousasi's favor, but Carvalho is tall, lanky, and dangerous with his limbs. Anything can happen and there's a reason why he's won 14 in a row and still has the belt. If he wasn't good he would've lost it by now. I find it hilarious how people just write off Bellator fighters like it's easy to become champ there. Believe me, if he sucked, Melvin would've knocked him out. Don't write him off.

Just because I think Mousasi beats him easily, doesn't mean I believe he's a can. I just think Moose is that good. I don't think Carvalho is on that level. We'll see who's right.

 

[GueseGuy]

Exactly. We can all agree that the first Melvin fight sucked, big time. The second fight showed me plenty though. He is a fighter who knows how to fight an opposite handed fighter. He circled away from Melvin’s power shots while landing his own body kick and straight left. He threw the body kick for about 4 round then he came up top and finished Melvin in the later rounds. That truly was “how to fight an opposite handed fighter 101” great game plan.

Exactly and even Jimmy Smith was very complimentary of Carvalho's improvements from the first fight. We know Jimmy will not hesitate to call out a fighter and all he had was praise for Carvalho's great gameplan. I was very impressed with his footwork, his forward pressure and of course his defense. Look at how many shots Melvin threw and Carvalho blocked them because his hands were very high. Good to see I'm not the only one who was impressed with Carvalho's progression. Very excited to see him continue his reign for Bellator.

 

[GueseGuy]

Just because I think Mousasi beats him easily, doesn't mean I believe he's a can. I just think Moose is that good. I don't think Carvalho is on that level. We'll see who's right.

Look I'm not saying Carvalho is gonna win but what I'm saying is that while the first fight might've been dreadful, you should rewatch it. Then check out the 2nd one and Carvalho is a completely different fighter. What he did was a systematic demolition of a very dangerous Melvin. It's very hard to ignore Carvalho's improvements and depending on when he meets Mousasi, the guy could be even better. So yes we will have to see. But by no means will Gegard walk through him. Carvalho is too smart to let it be an easy walk in the park.

 

[Fluffernutter]

Send in Ruth

 

[Langinbang187]

Look I'm not saying Carvalho is gonna win but what I'm saying is that while the first fight might've been dreadful, you should rewatch it. Then check out the 2nd one and Carvalho is a completely different fighter. What he did was a systematic demolition of a very dangerous Melvin. It's very hard to ignore Carvalho's improvements and depending on when he meets Mousasi, the guy could be even better. So yes we will have to see. But by no means will Gegard walk through him. Carvalho is too smart to let it be an easy walk in the park.

We'll make an avy bet on it if/when the fight becomes official.

 

[thedevious]

Carvalho vs. Sakara
Mousasi vs Storm

The difference in quality between the title fight and the other is staggering