According to a Jan. 23 report from Sherdog, Ben Askren’s third Bellator welterweight title defense will move forward on schedule, as both the champion and challenger Karl Amoussou hit their contracted weights at the Bellator 86 weigh-ins.
Amoussou is confident heading into the fight, as he thinks Askren's only chance to win is by utilizing a "lay-and-pray" wrestling technique.
"What can Askren do to me, actually?" Amoussou asked MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) this past fall while in Orlando, Fla., shooting promotional spots for Bellator's current eighth season. "He cannot punch, and he cannot kick – so there's no way he can knock me out. He can't submit me. So the only thing he can maybe do is lay and pray. That's it."
Some MMA fans don't enjoy Askren's style, as he rarely goes for the knockout punch.
"Everybody knows I'm stronger than him in the standup," Amoussou said of Askren. "I think people now know that I'm very dangerous on the ground and probably better than him. I like challenges, and I think beating him at his own game could really be a crazy thing for him – if I don't knock him out in the first 90 seconds. I really think I'll knock him out early in the fight. But if I don't knock him out so early, I'll really try to beat him at his own game."
Amoussou (16-4-2 MMA, 4-1 BFC) challenges Askren (10-0 MMA, 7-0 BFC) in the main event of Bellator's second event of the season, which takes place at WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com.
In addition to the welterweight title headliner, Bellator 86's main card will also see ex-Strikeforce contender Muhammed Lawal (205) return to action against Polish talent Przemyslaw Mysiala (205.6) in the opening round of Bellator’s Season 8 light heavyweight tournament.
Lawal and Mysiala both made their contracted weights without issue.
Bellator 86 Weigh-in Results:
- Ben Askren (169.8) vs. Karl Amoussou (167.4)
- Muhammed Lawal (205) vs. Przemyslaw Mysiala (205.6)
- Marius Zaromskis (169.2) vs. Brent Weedman (170)
- Douglas Lima (170.6) vs. Michail Tsarev (170)
- Ben Saunders (169.8) vs. Koffi Adzitso (170.8)
- Jose de Ribamar Machado Gomes (170.8) vs. Raul Amaya (171)
- Hunter Tucker (145) vs. Javier Obregon (146)
- Chris Pham (139.6) vs. Jason Sampson (137.4)
- Zach Church (154.6) vs. Damon Jackson (155.2)
- Matt Jones (182.8) vs. Cortez Coleman (186)
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