Bellator Fighting Championships XI Predictions: BFC XI Preview

One tournament final has been settled, and three remain.

Last week, at Bellator X, Joe Soto established himself as a featherweight to watch in the top ten rankings after his demolition of Yahir Reyes, earning himself the title of first-ever Bellator featherweight champion. Soto kept his unbeaten momentum going to stop Reyes in the second round after upsetting tournament favorite Wilson Reis in the semifinals last month.

This week, on Friday, June 12, Bellator XI plays host to the finals in the promotion’s inaugural welterweight tournament, as two up and coming fighters—neither of which have been finished in professional competition—battle for the title and a $100,000 prize. Undefeated Lyman Good will put his significant striking skills and improved submissions on display against the hungry Omar De La Cruz as the promotion returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut this Friday night, with a replay airing via one-day tape delay the following night on ESPN Deportes.

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Week 11 BFC Predictions:

Bellator XI – Welterweight Tournament Finals:

Lyman Good vs. Omar De La Cruz

While De La Cruz (5-1 MMA) was impressive and versatile in his Unanimous Decision win over Victor Meza in the welterweight tournament quarterfinals in April, he drew little attention until his one-sided beat down of former UFC middleweight champion and longtime MMA veteran Dave Menne last month, where he knocked one of the tournament favorites out in the first round with a punishing flurry. De La Cruz does not have a ton of professional experience, with only six fights on his record, but he has yet to be finished in active competition, his lone loss coming by way of split decision to Marcelo Brito two years ago. De La Cruz possesses a sturdy chin, crisp, unorthodox striking and active ring movement that make him difficult to pin down, and while he has shown the ability to finish, his strikes lack serious knockout power, something his opponent might be able to capitalize on.

Lyman Good (9-0 MMA) should be a heavy favorite heading into the welterweight finals against De La Cruz, if only for the fact that he is undefeated in professional competition. Good was on a bit of a skid heading into Bellator’s tournament quarterfinals, having won his last three contests by decision before entering the competition, but he has quickly turned things around, finishing submission ace Hector Urbina with a second round rear naked choke and dominating Jorge Ortiz en route to a second round TKO stoppage in the tournament semifinals. Good possesses solid ground skills, a defined and athletic physique, and truly gifted kickboxing skills that could make him a threat to many of the world’s top welterweights somewhere down the line. For now, he will have to settle for improving his unbeaten streak to double digits and adding a new belt and a hefty paycheck to his growing resume.

Prediction: Lyman Good over Omar De La Cruz by TKO (Strikes) Round 3

Look for previews of all of Bellator’s events to be up in the future on ProFighting-fans.com.

By Steven T. Kelliher
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer