Bellator Fighting Championship: Bellator 66 Preview & Predictions

Pro Fighting Fans is the home of Bellator MMA fans across the globe and we now bring you the best place to find the latest Bellator news as well as the latest preview & predictions. Bellator Fighting Championships 66 will take place on Friday, April 20, 2012 and our Bellator predictions & fight previews will be posted below for MMA fans across the globe to enjoy. Check out the Bellator 66 results and buy Bellator MMA tickets online here through Pro Fighting Fans!

Thiago Michel Pereira Silva vs. Brent Weedman

Finishing specialist Thiago Michel Pereira Silva (10-2) will meet Brent Weedman (19-7) in a season six lightweight tournament semifinal round bout at Bellator 66 in main card action.

Silva, 27, is a Brazil native who fights out of the Ely Team in his homeland. After debuting in 2006, Silva won his first four before losing his first career fight. Overall, Silva was victorious in nine of his first elven contests competing mostly for the Brazil Fight organization. After touring the Brazilian regional fight circuit, Silva was entered into the Bellator (62) season six lightweight tournament where he picked up an opening round split decision victory over Rene Nazare last month.

Weedman is a Louisville, Kentucky based mixed martial artist who fights out of Team Haycraft. The 6’0” Weedman posted a 14-5-1 mark over his first four years as a professional competing in Midwest based regional organizations like Wild Bill’s Fight Night as well as the United Fight League. Weedman began competing for Bellator in early 2010 and won three fights in a row to earn a position in the season four welterweight tournament. Weedman lost a season four semifinal round bout to Jay Hieron at Bellator 40 and dropped a season five opening round bout against Chris Lozano at Bellator 49 before finally posting a victory this season at Bellator 62 over JJ Ambrose.

Prediction – Silva TKO

Lloyd Woodard vs. Rick Hawn

Hard hitting Lloyd Woodard (12-1) will take on Judo specialist Rick Hawn (12-1) in a Bellator 66 Season six Lightweight Tournament Semifinal bout that will be part of the main card.

Woodard is a Montana based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Dogpound Fight Team. “Cupcake” made his professional debut in 2008 and won his first ten bouts competing for organizations like Cage Sport, Fight Force and Extreme Challenge. Woodard joined Bellator in early 2011 and defeated Carey Vanier in the season four Lightweight Tournament Opening Round before losing to Michael Chandler at Bellator 40 in the semifinals. He then earned a spot in the season six Lightweight Tourney and submitted Patricky Freire at Bellator 62 in the Opening Round this past March.

Hawn, 35, is a Massachusetts based mixed martial artist who fights out of Team Sityodtong. Hawn made his professional debut in 2009 and opened his career with eight straight victories while fighting in regional promotions across the east coast. The Judo specialist joined Bellator in late 2010 for the season four 170-pound tournament and after winning a qualifying round bout, defeated Jim Wallhead and Lyman Good to earn a place in the tournament final. At Bellator 43 in May of 2011, Hawn was defeated by Jay Hieron via split decision to lose his chance to fight for the 170 pound belt. After getting a slot in the season six lightweight tournament, Hawn knocked out Ricardo Tirloni this past March at Bellator 62 in the opening round to advance into the semifinals.

Prediction – Woodard Decision

Maiquel Falcao vs. Vyacheslav Vasilevsky

Former UFC middleweight Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao (28-4) will attempt to advance into the Bellator season six middleweight tournament final, however standing in his way is Russian born Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (16-1). The two competitors will meet in a classic striker versus grappler at the Bellator 66 middleweight tournament semifinals.

Falcao is a Brazil born mixed martial artist who fights out of the well-known Chute Boxe camp in Curitiba. “Big Rig” made his professional debut in 2004 and toured the regional fight circuit in his native country for over six years where he compiled a 25-3, NC mark before signing with the UFC in late 2010. The 5’11” Falcao won his only bout inside the octagon at UFC 123 defeated Gerald Harris by decision but was released after problems in his home country. Back on the small stage, Falcao won two of three to gain entry into the Bellator season six middleweight tournament earlier this year. At Bellator 61 Falcao picked up a decision victory over Norman Paraisy in the March tournament opening round bout.

Vasilevsky, 23, is a Russian born mixed martial artist who fights out of the K-Dojo MMA. The sambo style fighter made his professional debut in 2008 and lost his only bout in his second career contest. After losing, he rebounded to win fourteen straight fights competing in his native country’s regional circuit for notable organizations like M-1 Challenge and Pro Fight. He arrived in Bellator earlier this year and defeated Victor O’Donnell by unanimous decision at Bellator 61 during the season six middleweight tournament opening round bout.

Prediction – Falcao TKO

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Brian Rogers vs. Bruno Santos

Strikeforce veteran Brian Rogers (9-3) will try and make his name in Bellator when he meets undefeated Bruno Santos (13-0) in a season six middleweight tournament semifinal bout at BFC 66.

Rogers, 28, is an Ohio based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Strong Style Fight Team. The knockout artist made his professional debut in early 2008 and posted a 7-2 mark before appearing on a Strikeforce undercard in March of last year. On that Strikeforce undercard, Rogers defeated Ian Rammel via TKO to catch the attention of the Bellator promotion. Rogers joined forces with Bellator last fall and advanced into the season five middleweight tournament semifinals before losing to Alexander Shlemenko. Coming back for the season six middleweight tournament, Rogers finished his opponent Vitor Vianna with a 1 st round flying knee KO victory.

Santos, 24, is a Brazil based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Ze Mario Team. The 5’9” Santos made his professional debut in December of 2007 and won his first twelve bouts while competing in his native country for Win Fight and Entertainment and Bitetti Combat promotions. After winning the 2011 Bitetti Combat Middleweight Grand Prix, Santos entered the season six Bellator MW Tournament earlier this year. At Bellator 61 in the opening round of the 185 pound tourney, Santos picked up a unanimous decision victory over Giva Santana to advance.

Prediction – Rogers Decision

Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki

Former Bellator lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez (22-3) will try and repay Japanese grappling expert Shinya Aoki (29-5) in the Bellator 66 main event after Aoki submitted him over three years ago for a separate promotion.

Alvarez, 28, is a Pennsylvania based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Fight Factory in Philadelphia. The boxing and wrestling based Alvarez made his professional debut in 2003 and won 12 of his first 13 over his first four years of competition where he also served as the Bodog Fight Welterweight Champion. He also competed in the 2008 DREAM Lightweight Grand Prix advancing into the final before an injury forced him out of the competition. In a long awaited bout, Alvarez was submitted by Aoki in December 2008 for the K-1 promotion. He made his Bellator debut just four months later and won the season one lightweight tournament and became the first ever Bellator 155 pound Champ. After competing once more for DREAM in 2009, Alvarez returned to Bellator and won two non-title bouts in 2010. He then defended his Bellator title in 2011 via decision victory over Pat Curran at BFC 39, but had his title taken away from him at BFC 58 last November against Michael Chandler, also ending his seven fight winning streak.

Aoki, 28, is a Japanese based mixed martial artist who fights out of the Paraestra Tokyo team. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist made his professional debut in 2003 and was the Shooto Middleweight Champion less than three years later. Moving over to compete in PRIDE in 2006, Aoki won all four bouts for the organization in less than one year. He also was a favorite to win the DREAM 2008 Lightweight Grand Prix but was defeated in the finals via TKO against Joachim Hansen. Aoki returned the favor and won the Hansen rematch at DREAM 11 in October 2009 to become the organizations new Lightweight Champion. Over the last year, Aoki has competed four times for Strikeforce and DREAM, winning all four bouts including his most recent last December. Aoki defeated countryman Satoru Kitaoka in a DREAM event to defend his belt for the first time.

Prediction – Alvarez TKO

By Nick Russell
ProFighting-fans.com Senior MMA Staff Writer