Bellator 73: Galvao vs. Nogueira

Marcos Galvao (12-5-1) vs. Luis Nogueira (14-2)

In the Bellator Season 6 bantamweight final, fellow Brazilians Marcos Galvao and Luis Nogueira will battle for the tournament’s title.

Galvao is formerly one of the world’s best bantamweights, and still brings a lethal set of grappling skills to the ring as a premier Jiu Jitsu artist. When he wins, though, he likes to just outfight his opponent and take it to the final bell—11 of his 12 career victories have been decisions, including his two during this Bellator tournament. Nogueira has won three in a row, only one of which has reached the final bell. That includes a submission against Zak Laird 53 seconds into a fight and a KO of Hiroshi Nakamura in his last bout. As a far more dynamic fighter, he has more potential to win this in a variety of ways. Play on the slight favorite NOGUEIRA to win this one.

At 5-foot-7, Galvao owns a one-inch height advantage over his opponent. He has won two fights in a row, decisions against Ed West and Travis Marx in this Bellator tournament. Prior to that, he lost in the semifinal of the Season 5 Bellator bantamweight tournament against Alexis Vila, a split decision. As a fighter who relies on his grappling, Galvao will need to remain patient and be tactful with his attacks in this one. But leaving things to the judges is always risky—play against.

Prior to Nogueira’s three-fight win streak, he lost to Ed West, one of the two people Galvao defeated in this season’s tournament. But Nogueira has shown why he is so dangerous in the fights since then. In his career, he has demonstrated a flexible winning strategy with five knockouts, two submissions and seven decisions. So, even if this goes to the final bell as Galvao hopes, Nogueira will have a chance. Take the underdog and the money here.