Preview: Bellator 241 ‘Pitbull vs. Carvalho’

Middleweights

Anatoly Tokov (29-2) vs. Fabio Aguiar (17-1)

ODDS: Tokov (-1200), Aguiar (+700)

Tokov appears to be the next Russian fighter on the brink of becoming a household name. The 30-year old flaunts an impressive 29-2 record and has only tasted defeat once in his last 23 appearances. He also has 23 wins by way of stoppage. The combat sambo practitioner is a protégé of the legendary Fedor Emelianenko. He is a well-rounded fighter who can dominate on the feet or the ground. Tokov is a technical striker who throws straight punches down the pipe and has power in both hands. He keeps a high guard to protect his chin but makes the mistake of backing straight up to avoid combinations. While he is more than just a serviceable striker, Tokov’s wrestling remains the cornerstone of his game. He can take the fight to the canvas by either finding a takedown from deep-penetration shots or trips from the clinch. Once on top, he smothers opponents with good top control and has a great ability to take thir backs. He is a submission threat, having secured seven wins via tapout.

Aguiar gets thrust onto the main card for his Bellator debut due to his eye-popping 17-1 record. The Brazilian is on a nine-fight winning streak and has 14 wins by way of stoppage. The 32-year-old has not drawn much attention from the major promotions because his remarkable record has been padded by some low-level fodder. Aguiar is a bit limited on the feet due to his lack of athleticism. He can be quite sloppy throwing wild haymakers without much accuracy. He tends to leave his chin in the air, leaving a large target for his opponent. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for with pure strength. He has displayed good timing on entries, as he shows off his strength by lifting his opponents into the air and slamming them onto the canvas. From top position, Aguiar dispatches heavy ground-and-pound and offers the threat of submission, having secured five of his victories via tapout. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has some flaws on the ground. Aguiar has been taken down in several fights, and has surrendered position while chasing submissions in the past. His gas tank failed him in his lone defeat.

This fight is Tokov’s to lose. While there is not much film of Aguiar circulating the Internet, the Russian appears to be levels ahead of him. Look for Tokov to outduel Aguiar on the feet and then get the better of his counterpart if the fight hits the mat. Many view Tokov as a future title contender, and as such, Aguiar does not figure to pose much of a problem for him. Tokov by second-round TKO is the pick.