Bellator: Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello Targeted for April
by Nick Thomas on Mar 29, 2011 10:42 AM EDT
in Bellator News
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Just wrapped an interview w/ @BellatorMMA CEO Bjorn Rebney for Gross Point Blank. He confirmed Cole Konrad fights Paul Buentello in April.
Cole "The Polar Bear" Konrad (7-0)
Win Neil Grove - Submission (Keylock) Bellator 32
Win Damian Grabowski - Decision (Unanimous) Bellator 29
Win Rogent Lloret - Decision (Unanimous) Bellator 25
Paul "The Headhunter" Buentello (29-13)Upcoming non-title super fights:
Win Kerry Schall - Decision (Unanimous) Nemesis Fighting
Loss Tim Sylvia - KO (Punch) Powerhouse World Promotions
Win Bryan Humes - Decision (Unanimous) Shark Fights 11
Welterweight: Ben Askren (7-0) vs. Nick Thompson (38-13-1) [Bellator 40]
Featherweight: Joe Warren (6-1) vs. Marcos Galvao (9-3-1) [Bellator 41]
Bantamweight: Zack Makovsky (12-2) vs. Chad Robichaux (11-0) [Bellator 41]
Middleweight: Hector Lombard (27-2-1) vs. Falaniko Vitale (28-9) [Bellator 44]
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Paul via TKO?!?
Not likely. Konrad via UD.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
by The American Ronin on Mar 29, 2011 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Paul has 3 chances to win this...at the start of each round...
after that, Conrad will take him down, hold him down, and keep him down.
Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?
George Carlin
nah
Konrad with GnP or submission.
the one thing i DESPISE about Buentello is his refusal to evolve and learn to grapple.
not that great a matchup for him with his bad takedown defense.
by Victor Rodriguez on Mar 29, 2011 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Why the f*** does Bellator have exclusive clauses in their contracts if all they’re going to do with their champions is make them fight rejects from other organizations. They’re wasting what little assets they have, and it’s really frustrating.
if you thought Strikeforce titles were paper...
fighting cast offs is ok (not ideal but @ least veteran competition), but what’s the deal with all the non-title fights? just make your champs fight, the tourney format is cool but their champs have to wait too long & then get non-title 3 rounders. If your champ gets beat in a non-title, does the winner then have to fight through a tourney to get another title shot? It makes no sense, this is pro MMA not a high school wrestling bracket. If the ‘tourneys’ were 4 spots instead of 8, it would speed the process up.
Who's the only one here who knows illegal ninja moves from the government?
"That dude was legit, ponytails are a sign of nobility." TheFilt™
Well, there’s very little chance of their champs of losing in any of these ‘superfights’, so they’re not risking much. But then, why make those fights non-title fights? And also, why call them ‘superfights’ when they’re clearly just warm up fights for their champs to stay busy? It’s just ridiculous all around.
Wow big step up in competition
Should be a unanimous decision for Konrad
If Kongo could take him down Konrad will aswell
by rscott94 on Mar 29, 2011 10:53 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I like the system that guys have to win a tournament to get a title shot.
The problem with this system is however, that there’s only one title fight max per year.
And to keep their champions busy they have to make these silly “superfights”. there’s nothing super about them. They’re just placeholder fights to prevent titleholders from getting ring rust.
Frustrating.
Look at Eddie Alvarez. He won his title in June of 09, had two “superfights” with in ‘10, with only one of them being interesting to anyone (Huerta). Now almost two years after he won the title he’s finally defending it.
"Some days you just cannot get rid of a bomb" - Batman.
http://twitter.com/tyrionMMA
fuck lombard
i just want alvarez, hector’s a tough fighter, but hes a mid level guy at best in the UFC
"I have smoked weed with alot of UFC champions" - Joe Rogan
"Você ta fudido. Se vai levar muita porrada, ta ligado?" - Anderson Silva
He has olympic caliber judo, yet finishes most of his fights by ko/tko. And he trains at a top camp in ATT… I don’t think he’d be a top 5 guy, but he’d certainly be better the most UFC middleweights…I can’t see how a guy like bisping, wanderlei, or stann could beat him
by Fedorable on Mar 29, 2011 12:55 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
His gas tank is a pretty big problem, though. That alone could hold him back against the top tier guys in the UFC.
it's not that big of a problem
by ANDERSONS GOT THE JUICE on Mar 29, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s not a problem against bad competition, but against great competition, it’s one of the worst problems to have as a fighter.
I guess
At least he has been to the 4th round a couple of times and he went all 5 rounds before. Maybe he isn’t Diego Sanchez but at least he isn’t carwin. But you are right, he hasn’t faced elite competition but at least he hasnt lost in 5 years
They told me to put a signature here.......so I did.
by ANDERSONS GOT THE JUICE on Mar 29, 2011 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions
i think bisping and stann both do
stanns a quality brawler who i think will just outwork him, and i think bisping outpoints him on the feet
we really dont know where wanderlei is at this point but it would be a pretty awesome matchup
lombard can crush cans and mediocre fighters, but he doesnt look that great to me when hes pressed.
"I have smoked weed with alot of UFC champions" - Joe Rogan
"Você ta fudido. Se vai levar muita porrada, ta ligado?" - Anderson Silva
We haven't seen it in so long
There’s probably a reason for it.
Lombard is a bully. He beats up young guys in the gym, injuring them. I’ve heard this repeatedly.
Bullies don’t have the character to deal with a person who fights back.
"Run and tweet THAT, homeboy."
Another Shamrock, eh?
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
by The American Ronin on Mar 29, 2011 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Worse
There’s a lot of info about it. Many fighters and trainers talk about it.
Just google Hector Lombard and automatically bully pops up after his name. No joke.
"Run and tweet THAT, homeboy."
I had forgotten about that Barnett incident, but his attitude is total bullshit if the bullying is true – I have no respect and even less use for people who pull that kind of stupid shit.
I nominate Paul Harris as his “welcome to the UFC” fight if he ever decides to leave the safety of the minors…Mayhem would work too…
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
by The American Ronin on Mar 29, 2011 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions
Ricardio Laborio(his trainer) says
“He’s like Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde.”
He confirmed the rumors are true and that finding training partners for him is “extremely complicated”.
"Run and tweet THAT, homeboy."
Hector Lombard > Vitor Belfort
He could get a title shot after a couple mid tier wins.
"Run and tweet THAT, homeboy."
Bellator frustrates me
If Kongo can outwrestle Paul what’s Cole gonna do? Eddie Alvarez/Pat Curran is going to be ugly and don’t get me started on what else there screwing up. There “Season format” is really wierd and there tournaments drag out tile fights to ridiculous degrees. There have been three title defence’s in Bellator succesful or otherwise in two years with nothing on the horizon in terms of “Season 3’s” champions. There wasting there most marketable fighters as I seriously doubt Alvarez and Lombard stick around once there deal’s expire.
It’s got to the point where I just want them to go away it was fun at first but there is a reason why Pride only held one Grand Prix a year.
http://unintelligentdefense.blogspot.com
by MattParker117 on Mar 29, 2011 11:04 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
forgot about zach’s fight
http://unintelligentdefense.blogspot.com
by MattParker117 on Mar 29, 2011 11:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Decent step up in competition, has better stand up than anyone else Konrad has ever faced. I’d like to see Konrad vs. Cormier, though that’s not currently possible.
"If I wanted to spend a half hour between two hairy legs I'd go to your mother's house." -Don Frye
by mburtoni on Mar 29, 2011 11:14 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
I would too, but Cormier would have his way with Konrad.
"Sometimes I wonder if the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on, or by imbeciles who really mean it." -Mark Twain
"Life is tough, but it's tougher if you're stupid." -John Wayne
by The American Ronin on Mar 29, 2011 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions
i dont think konrad has that high of a ceiling
if he fights a real athletic heavyweight, even a 235-245 lb guy like JDS or schaub i think he’d get punished. and the guys near the top of the weight limit like brock, carwin, or bigfoot would just straight up beat the fuck outta him
"I have smoked weed with alot of UFC champions" - Joe Rogan
"Você ta fudido. Se vai levar muita porrada, ta ligado?" - Anderson Silva
Dan would dance circles around him(while beating him savagely)
Konrad’s entire MMA game is wrestling; his entire wrestling game is stalling the TD and out lasting.
Cormier could KO him on the feet, kick out his legs or take him down and submit him. He’s so much faster and way more explosive, a way better technical wrestler and light-years ahead in terms of overall MMA skill and conditioning.
Cole is basically just a really, really big guy that wants to lay on you.
"Run and tweet THAT, homeboy."
How to end these silly non-title "superfights"
Like Tyrion mentioned, I like the idea that you have to win a tournament to get a title shot. What Bellator needs to do is have a tournament for EVERY weight class in EVERY season in order to have 2 title fights per year per weight class. How do they accomplish this given their season schedule and time slots? My suggestion is to make some of them 4-man tournaments, with 4 designated qualifiers in the previous season. That way you still need to string together at least 3 wins in Bellator to get the title shots, and brings two #1 contenders per year for each champion.
by jalami on Mar 29, 2011 11:20 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
That’s actually a great suggestion. Someone forward this to Rebney.
His model might work for awhile, but I guess more and more “champions” will get frustrated over time, when they never fight, and when they fight again, it’s some washout from another promotion.
The tournament winners might not be names either, but at least they come in with a three fight winning streak. But fighting the likes of Buentello or recently in the case of Alvarez Josh Neer (don’t remember any of the other “superfights”) is just a sham.
"Some days you just cannot get rid of a bomb" - Batman.
http://twitter.com/tyrionMMA
oh man...
i love buentello but this is going to be a snoozer. paul will wing one or two haymakers and then get taken down and we’ll see nothing but conrad’s back-fat for the duration of the fight.
Mozambique Drill
Zzzzzzz.....
we mutha fuckin thug life riders westsiiiide till we die
by cosmic fist technique on Mar 29, 2011 12:31 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
eventually one of their champs is gonna lose
in one of these non-title fights – seems like they do around 4 or more of them every season – granted, they’re normally gimme fights for the champ, but what happens when it doesnt turn out that way?
Who in the world would find that funny?
by Horselover Fat on Mar 29, 2011 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions
settle down big guy
They told me to put a signature here.......so I did.
by ANDERSONS GOT THE JUICE on Mar 29, 2011 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I was just wondering what made you say that. I am well settled.
by Horselover Fat on Mar 29, 2011 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
about as good as anyone they were going to find for Cole TBH
although having tournaments more frequently for legit challengers would be ideal. I see Cole very easily grinding out a UD. Maybe a submission late.
This is why I said Eddie Alvarez was the biggest loser of the Zuffa purchase of SF. Champions in Bellator will never get the fights they need to prove they are either top 10, or the best in the world. Realistically this is a good fight for Konrad for where he is in his career, but I don’t ever see him moving up in the world as long as he is with Bellator.
FREE Alvarez! FREE Lombard!
Maybe after this Conrad can go to the UFC and fight Roy Nelson, book it.
Bring the Cup home to Detroit in 2011!!!
Roy would destroy him.
Follow my Twitter or be a dick! @BVandDietPepsi
by BVandDietPepsi on Mar 29, 2011 6:36 PM EDT up reply actions
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