Our experts are back, well, most of ‘em! Rich is taking some time off to spend time with his new daughter so we’ve brought in one of our writers and site contributer, Lance Edwards.
Do you agree with them or do you think they are crazy? Either way, let ‘em know! When you’re done reading all the pics, feel free to leave your own picks and comments below and let our experts and Houston know who you think is going to win and why.
Meet the experts
Mike Calimbas (mopthemats.com) – (36-32) Mike Calimbas is an MMA Writer, devotee, and fan that has been a part of the Mixed Martial Arts community for over fifteen years. He has served as a ring official & timekeeper for amateur MMA in numerous local events in Texas with the USACA/Lonestar Beatdown. Mike has also written and provided analysis on the topic of MMA & Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for various online publications, including FightLine, Ploomy, and MoptheMats.com. Mike has been training BJJ, etc. on-and-off for the past six years. Off the mats, he spends most of his time with his family, including his baby son, Nicholas and girlfriend, Megan. For more on Mike, check him out on http://twitter.com/mikecalimbas.
Justin Trapp (fighterportraits.com) – (41-27) Justin Trapp is a photographer, designer and one of the premier marketing minds in the MMA industry. He manages the branding and marketing for mma companies, fighters and gyms. He has been a loyal fan of the sport since its inception and works to educate the biased. To see some of his work visit his website, fighterportraits.com.
Lance Edwards (thecagedoor.net/lanceedwards) – (0-0) At the age of 11, British born Lance joined the boy scouts and had his first experience of a three round boxing match, never having worn gloves or trained before, needless to say he was pummelled around the ring. This started his love of combat sports and martial arts. Having trained and lived in a number of countries in Europe, Asia and of course the US, Lances lack of skill and ability to pick up bizarre and unusual training injuries, led to him developing just enough cardio to master the use of a keyboard. Still training in the hope of honing his skills to a level higher than pathetic, Lance trained in the UK as a psychologist, and has written for UK based Martial Arts Illustrated magazine, and Fighters Only website. Lance is a writer for TheCageDoor.net as well as a crucial part of our live coverage team.
THE PREDICTIONS
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Greg Bellomy | Name | Alex Black |  |
| Nickname | ||||
| #3 | TCD rank | N/A (Pro Debut) | ||
| 145 | Weight | 145 | ||
| 1-0-0 | Record | 0-0-0 | ||
| Gracie Barra Texas | Gym | Bushi Ban | ||
| Mike, Lance | Picks | Justin |
Mike: I’m going to skip the talk about how nice these guys are because I’m sure that kind of stuff will be covered by others all over the place. Okay, okay… both these fighters are top-notch stalwarts of the Houston MMA community and are amongst those others would be fit to emulate as role models. Despite that, this is a fight and as is such, Ive gotta pick a winner. In this fight, Alex Black is riding high making his professional debut fresh off a title victory over Bryan Billiot at Caged Combat 7 in Louisiana. Alex has continued to get better and better, making some marked improvements in his amateur career – most notably his ever improving BJJ and stand-up skills. He’s ripe to go pro but I can’t help but to think he’s picked an incredibly tough opponent to debut against in Greg Bellomy. This Draculino-trained fighter touts an impressive wrestling background to go along with some improvements of his own. From what I’m hearing on the street, most have Bellomy as an overwhelming favorite with a large strength advantage. I think Greg will have an advantage in transitions but this fight will be much closer than people think. As long as Bellomy can take Alex down and counter arm bars to pass, I think he may be able to gain a decision and that’s what I’m going with. Prediction: Bellomy via decision
Justin: Some of the nicest guys you will ever meet in MMA. Both guys are tough and experienced. I think i will flip a coin on this one. Tails, Alex Black wins UD. Prediction: Black via unanimous decision.
Lance: Both of these fighters are great fighters, as with most of this card. Black ironed out a lot of his weaknesses through his amateur career. Bellomy comes to us from Dracalino’s school and also has a solid ground game. Im expecting a fast paced fight which I doubt will go to decision. Prediction: Bellomy via tko or sub
 |
Mike Bronzoulis | Name | Jonathan Harris |  |
| The Greek | Nickname | The Hulk | ||
| #2 | TCD rank | #3 | ||
| 170 | Weight | 170 | ||
| 9-2-1 | Record | 4-0-0 | ||
| Paradigm | Gym | Submission Boxing | ||
| Mike, Lance | Picks | Justin |
Mike: No fighter in the area has gotten more mileage out of his pro wins than Jonathan “Hulk” Harris. Testament to that is the TheCageDoor’s video of his last 5-second KO of Kenneth Fuller reaching over 264,000 views to date on YouTube. To the world, Harris is a world beater right now. After all, his other professional win happened in a mere 16-seconds as well so I’m sure a lot of fans are picking The Hulk to win another one and with good reason. However, when I think of this fight, I don’t see Harris KO’ing Bronzoulis and I certainly don’t see “The Greek” playing around with fake glove touches or any other silly games. The only game I see Bronzoulis playing is taking this guy down to the mat and giving him a taste of what seasoned professional MMA experience feels like. To go even further, I’m going to go out on a limb and call it now. Mike Bronzoulis not only wins but wins on the floor, with the third submission win of his career or a TKO after some relentless ground-and-pound. Prediction: Bronzoulis via submission
Justin: I’m thinking this fight steals the show. Both guys have knockout power. There are rumors that Jonathon’s ground game is sick but he hasnt been able to show it yet. Time will tell if that is something of urban legends….Mike is a very experienced fighter who has been around a long time so he is not going to get caught up in touching gloves err fake touching gloves with Harris. Ultimately I think this may be the rise of Jonathon Harris. Prediction: Jonathon Harris TKO Rd2
Lance: Bronzoulis is a grizzled veteran, whereas Harris is a fresh up-and-comer to professional MMA. The difficult thing about Harris is his previous pro fights haven’t gone longer than sixteen seconds, so we haven’t really seen what game he has past that initial explosive burst. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a very explosive punchfest early, which ends in a KO, if not we may see Bronzoulis experience shining through. Another tough call because we haven’t seen enough of Harris as a pro, but I’m sure this fight will show us if he’s the real deal. Prediction: Bronzoulis via tko or decision
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Rey Trujillo | Name | Ray Blodgett |  |
| Nickname | ||||
| #3 | TCD rank | #5 | ||
| 155 | Weight | 155 | ||
| 8-1-0 | Record | 4-0-0 | ||
| Gym | Elite MMA | |||
| Justin, Lance | Picks | Mike |
Mike: Rey Trujillo rebounded from a tough loss to Daniel Pineda and decimated an experienced Jose Santibanez in his last fight at Strikeforce. I’ve always believed “Tru” to be an animal in the cage and have never picked against him in the past. With all that being said, I also believe he will lose this fight. Full-disclosure – I train with Ray Blodgett and have known him for a long-time, since before he made his amateur debut at Hurricane Harry’s way back at Lonestar Beatdown 1. Also full disclosure, I believe in his varied skill set and think he has all the tools to take this fight. As Colin Wright mentioned in his comments, he thinks this fight could go either way, ”it’ll be either rey by ko/tko, or ray by sub”. That’s probably the general consensus based on the reputations of both men but I also think Ray has very underrated stand up. Everyone thinks Elite MMA fighters and automatically assume a BJJ-base but Blodgett is no slouch on feet, with very technical Muay-Thai, clinch work, and a penchant for surviving wars. Trujillo is exactly the type of fight to bring out the best in Blodgett. All he’s got to do is survive what will undoubtedly be a Brock-like onslaught to start the fight by Tru and this fight should be his, most likely via choke or arm bar. Prediction: Blodgett via submission
Justin: Both guys look very promising at this point in their careers. Trujillo looked great at Strikeforce with the KO win. Blodgett was so close to landing a gig on TUF. I think this fight comes down to game plans. Which guy can implement his game plan? I think Blodgett will try and turn this into a grappling war. He looked really good against the undersized Aaron Barringer so I wonder how he will do with Rey being a lot bigger. Obviously Trujillo is going for the finish early like he always does but I think Blodgett will be able to avoid and major mistakes. Prediction: Rey Trujillo via unanimous decision
Lance: Another great match up, both are tough fighters. Trujillo has had more fights of the two, Blodgett’s win over Barringer shows that he shouldn’t be taken lightly. I give Trujillo the edge on stand up, and Blodgett, who has a knack of winning by submission, the edge on the ground. Prediction: Trujillo via tko
 |
Brian Melancon | Name | Junior Assuncao |  |
| Nickname | ||||
| #2 | TCD rank | NR | ||
| 155 | Weight | 155 | ||
| 4-1-0 | Record | 10-4-0 | ||
| Paradigm | Gym | |||
| Mike, Justin | Picks | Lance |
Mike: Logic dictates that the odds would be for the Brazilian Black Belt and former UFC-veteran Junior Assuncao winning this fight against yet another regional opponent. After all, the Atlanta-based eldest brother of the fighting Assuncao family enters this fight as a winner of his last four fights and has been tearing it up on the regional circuit. However, I can vividly recall leaving the Arena Theater after the last Legacy with a solitary thought in my head, to not pick against Melancon ever again after watching him dispatch of Todd Moore. In predictions before that bout, despite the fact that I knew Melancon to be an animal. I picked the highly-touted Moore over Melancon for two logical reasons, big league experience and name-value. I won’t make that mistake again. All common sense would point to Melancon as a live underdog in this fight and I’m going to go with my gut and say he wins via knockout over Junior Assuncao on his way to the big leagues. Prediction: Melancon via KO
Justin: Brian looked really good in his last few fights. Junior is a UFC vet but i have to wonder if he has already peaked. I think Brian is still getting better. I think it will be a tough fight but I give the UD to Brian. Prediction: Melancon via unanimous decision.
Lance: Fantastic match up, Melancon never ceases to rise to the occasion, with a tko over the gritty Todd Moore on his last outing, Im sure Melancon will be well prepared. Melancon makes a big weight cut, and at the last weigh-ins he looked near death; I’m not sure if this fights goes on through the rounds how that will affect him. I have a hunch that this time his cut wont be as big a day or two before the fight as that one. Assuncao is a seasoned veteran, and has been on a winning streak being undefeated in 2 ½ years. This is his second fight of the year, however, both fighters are going to be in great physical condition. I could see either fighter taking this, Melancon demonstrated great take down defence against Moore. I feel if Assuncao can take it to the ground I give him the edge there. Maybe if we’re really lucky Junior can give us a Capoeira demo afterwards. Prediction: Assuncao via sub
Quick Picks
| Fight | Mike | Justin | Lance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Ratichek vs Terrance Ferguson | Ratichek | Ratichek | Ratichek |
| Angel Huerta vs Akira Smith | Huerta | Huerta | Smith |
| Derek Lewis vs Miguel Guerra | Lewis | Lewis | Lewis |
| Edgar Verdin vs Jonathon Mack | Mack | Mack | Verdin |
| Tim Snyder vs Aaron Barringer | Snyder | Barringer | Snyder |
| John Malbrough vs Ruben Melendez | Malbrough | Malbrough | Malbrough |
Interesting matchups here…rey vs ray is interesting because rey is a chronic overachiever…he believes in himself as much as anyone fighting anywhere and he’s proven what he can do. Very natural fighter. Ray is disciplined in his fighting style and has a great skill set…but rey is such a wild card. Im picking rey.
Alex and greg….what can u say? Alex isn’t scared of anyone. He’s goof straight for a stud in his pro debut. Alex is game and wont ever quit…i think that greg brings serious soils in all area. Greg is gonna prove to be a stud so if alex loses to him i don’t see any shame it…of course anything can happen in mma…,but i’ve got greg.
Brian melancon via beastness and being able to bench about 500 lbs.
Mike b vs harris. No secret im a buddy of mikes and don’t know much about harris…but im.picking mike b….but i say this….harris is one of the true guys with ko power. Everyone says that at their gym but not many guys really have it…harris does. Standing with harris is like playing russian ruelette.
Or roulette…
or reagan….
I always bet on black.
I see my brother from another mother Drew victorious in his first pro outing. Bacon pizza on me again afterwards.
Melancon with another brutal beating.
Trujillo by either ud or tko.
Mike B wins it on the ground by either sub or gnp
Lewis by being the shear beast that he is. Black Beast that is.
Mack or Verdin – the fans win, someones getting knocked out. Can go either way
Cant call the Snyder vs Barringer fight. Tim has more experience and is an excellent fighter, but ive trained with Barringer and hes tough as nails. This could be a show stealer.
The Malbrough Man wins again.
Huerta and Smith is to hard to call. Once again, the fans win in this one. Whoever wins, its gonna be a great fight. Huerta has very nasty ko power and Smith has very nasty technical muay thai. This can go either way and is also my pick for fight of the night.
Gonna be another bad ass night for sure. Cant wait for Friday night.
Man I’m excited! This night is going to be crazy! Good luck to Brian and Drew. Watch out for my big homie Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis. Let’s go
Thanks guys…can’t wait to see smith vs huerta….awesome awesome fight! I feel.like im watching.the ufc with this card…only better. Jermaine…we eat soon homie.
I gotta go with Greg over Alex via submission or TKO. Alex is a good kid who is very tough but that isn’t going to change the fact that he is debuting against a guy that is quietly building a skill set to fight at the next level. I don’t believe we will see any decision coming out of this fight, and ultimately will be decided by maturity.
I am also looking forward to seeing the stand up war between Angel and Akira. I believe experience will prevail in this fight as well and Angel will come away the winner.
After the fight I am taking Drew to the NY Pizzaria in League City.
Mike B vs. Johnathan Harris- Wow this is going to be awesome.
Someone named Rey or Ray will win the 155 title.
We should all rally behind Brian as he gets one step closer to making it to the next level. War Brian and go get’em
This card is awesome
my predictions:
black
Bronzoulis
blodgett
melancon
ferguson
smith
lewis
verdin
barringer
Malbrough
cant wait for these fights. i am excited to see tim snyder get down with barringer, its always a treat to see mike b and brian do their thing. derrick lewis and miguel will end in a ko one way or the other, drew and terrence will be will be a good one to watch but the fight i cant hardly even contain my excitement about is Akira and Angel. the fight will be action packed from the first bell until the ref has to pull akira off. angel is a tough fighter and we have tons of respect for him but this is akiras time to shine. akira can end this fight many many different ways while angels only chance will be a ko. i know both fighters have put in some hard work and come friday night when they step into the cage and the door shuts each man will be in control of his own destiny. it wont matter what the coaches think, the fans think or the experts, it will all come down to that moment and who wants it more.
John Malbrough vs Ruben Melendez Malbrough Malbrough Malbrough
Good thing every one is smart enough not to pick the SHADOW WOLF!!! lol idiot
Derek Lewis vs Miguel Guerra Lewis Lewis Lewis
DEREK is my boy but MIGUEL hits hard, if you watch his fight against “Larry Crowe” he rocked larry a couple times. boy boy derek is not as light on his feet as larry so it should be a knockout in either direction in the 1st round. but i pick LEWIS
I am jealous of that nick name, The Black Beast. Can I be the 1/2 Black Beast? Or Beast Lite?
picks…..Drew said it best, its nothing personal if your not picked, but feel free to fire back at me, I got thick skin, REAL THICK.
Black Vs Bellomy I believe both ground games will eliminate each other out and its going to be a stand up battle………Black via TKO 2nd Rd
The Greek Vs The Hulk what a fight for new comers to Legacy. This will be a fight talked about around the water cooler for days or even weeks after. Both have ko power and good ground games. I think this will be a ground and pound war with lots of scrambles. Going with the Paradigm fighter for the strong wresling background. Mike B’s training is legenday for Houston, and should serve well in the later rounds
……………The Greek TKO 3rd Rd
Rey Vs Ray I have not seen for myself Rays chin tested. If Rey connects early, it could be over. I think Ray will try to keep Rey at bay with precision leg kicks to try to take some steam off the mighty jack hammers of Rey. Ray is coming off an injury and Rey is coming off the biggest win of his career at Strikeforce. Its gonna be a fun fight no matter what………………..Rey Dec
Brian Vs Junior Enjoy watching Brian here in Houston cause its going to probably be the last time, or until the UFC or Strikeforce comes into town. This will be Brians coming out party……..Brian KO 2nd
Lewis Vs Guerra this is a horrible matchup to me for Miguel. Miguel is the Cabbage Carrera of the south. Known for taking abuse and keep on coming. Fighting the heaviest hands in my opinion in Houston. Derrick doesnt do it pretty, but like Ivan Drago, what ever he hits, he destroys……..Lewis KO 1st Rd
Huerta Vs Smith lots of people are underestamating the rubber limbed Akira’s ground game. I think this one will be in the clinch a lot! With Huerta trying to keep it in close to avoid the dangerous kicks from Akira. In the end……………….Akira 2nd Rd corner stoppage due to broken arm defending head kicks
Quik Picks Drew, BadMan, Marlbrough, Mack
Brett you can be the “High Yellow Beast” cuz youre not really dark enough to be the “1/2 Black Beast” lol.
Ok, here it goes.
Black by 2nd rd TKO
Harris by decision
Trujillo by 3rd rd TKO/KO
Melancon by 2nd or 3rd rd TKO
Baconater by 3rd rd stoppage of some sort
Smith by decision
Black Beast by murder
Verdin vs Mack Truck… i have no clue
Barringer by 1st rd sub
Malbrough by decision
FOTN-Smith vs Huerta
Sub Of The Night-Barringer
KOOTN-Trujillo
i got drew “rata-tat-tat” ratichek with something lethal in one of the rounds
good luck drew!
Reports are that the Verdin/Mack and Malbrough/Melendez fights are off. Still trying to confirm.
gosh really, those fights might be off??? any replacements?
Yeah, just confirmed it too. No replacements that I’m aware of.
Mark Garcia is willing to match up w/ Malbrough….. He’s registered Let us know….
i think mark garcia would be a great fight for john every one seen his stand up make it happen
Hell yeah they are both well rounded fighters and very entertaining to watch …
Malbrough will bring his Gi and Garcia will bring his Fists …..
Like Baby Boom Said Make it happen……..
Can somebody email me contact info for Mark? Barry@thecagedoor.net ASAP
MARK GARCIA already took the fight he’s ganna weigh in soon and its ganna happen
THE POWER OF (THECAGEDOOR.NET)
Hell Yeah………… John was in good spirits at the weigh ins considering the circumstances. I would be happy as hell for John if this could still happen. I feel pretty bad for the several guys not getting to fight. Any word on the reasons for Verdin vs Mack fight?
big props to mark garcia for stepping in… thats a true warrior for you!
Jonathan Harris, congrats. Your already fighting a good fighter in Mike Bronzoulis, and now you managed to be fighting a pissed off Mike Bronzoulis.I am not buddies of Mike, nor am I a team mate of his. Tommorow night is going to be a very bad night for you. You will not be fighting JR Fuller, or Tony Concepcion. Tony is probably your biggest win to date, not that Tony is not a respectable opponent, but he is not even close to the calibar of the fighters that Mike has faught and made look silly. Here is what im going to do! If you beat Mike, I will eat my words in front of the entire audience of the arena theater, give you $100 and kiss your ass as you walk out the cage. But, rest assure, my money and lips are safe!
heck yeah, well said Lance a very big ^5 for Mark. Taking a fight on short notice does not seam like a big deal to avg Joe., but when you have not had time to train for your opponent, develope a game plan, or even work on conditioning (which it seams he is already on weight, so conditioning may not be an issue), and another big one avg Joe does not think of………..having enough time to notify friends and family so they can watch their fighter fight
weigh in video and pics are on the way!!!
Ttruth – have those hundred dollars ready (we’ll take it ones and make it rain on your ass). But seriously No disrespect to Mike b as he is a very tough Guy and one of the best around and has proven that time and time again. But those who know Johnathan know what he’s been through and its his time. Mike B had has time to shine. Harris is starving and has wanted this fight for a long time. There will be Fireworks to say the least.
SBA
Top Line
bottom line ppl, mikes winning my sub or ko
MARK was walking around at 165 when i called him, he barely made 170 when we got to weigh him in.
He doesn’t care the guy is bigger or how many more fights he has. This kid just wants to fight, and gives no excuses if it doesn’t go his way. WATCH this kid when i 1st meet him he couldn’t do any thing rite, but you all seen his stand up at Puro Combate 2. He trains hard and fights hard it should be a good fight either way it comes out. This kid has heart cant teach that!!!!!
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