On this edition of the MMA Outsider, Richard decided he was too busy to do a show for you mere mortals, but John Buhl stepped up to the plate and scored an interview with King of the Cage 135-pound champion Jared Papazian (14-6).
Jared’s had a great year so far, beating longtime fighter and DREAM veteran Abel Cullum (18-6) to win the KOTC belt and then successfully defending it against then-undefeated prospect Marvin Garcia (6-1). He’s not shy about saying he thinks he deserves a spot in the UFC, and he might not be that far off. His last loss came to previous KOTC titleholder Jimmie Rivera, a former Outsider guest who earned a spot in the preliminary round of this season’s The Ultimate Fighter.
And our show wouldn’t be anything without degenerative gamblers that want advice from pseudo-intellectuals, so here are some fight picks for Bellator 55 this Saturday:
135-pound tourney semi: Alexis Vila beats down Marcos Galvao
135-pound tourney semi: Eduardo Dantas decisions Ed West
205-pound non-title fight: UFC vet Travis Wiuff uses wrestling and strength to upset more talented, but undersized, champion Christian M’Pumbu