When Bellator Fighting Championships XXIII rolls into Louisville, Kentucky on Thursday night, the Season Two featherweight and middleweight tournament champions will be decided, along with a bevy of interesting “Local Feature” fights.

In the middleweight final, rising star Bryan Baker will lock horns with Russian striking sensation Alexander Shlemenko to determine the tournament winner. More importantly, the victor will earn a crack at current champion Hector Lombard in a title bout later this year.

In his run to the finals, Baker stormed through Sean Loeffler and Eric Schambari, finishing each fighter in the first round. Baker is a judo black belt with an electrifying offensive attack. The WEC veteran uses an aggressive style and incredible strength to overwhelm his opponents wherever the fight ends up. With an impressive 13-1 career record, Baker has beaten notable fighters like Matt Horwich, Rory Singer, and Jesse Forbes. His only blemish is a 2008 decision loss to world-ranked Chael Sonnen at WEC 33.

Meanwhile, Shlemenko defeated Matt Major and Jared Hess to punch his ticket to the finals. During his fight with Major, he displayed the kind of diverse offensive attack that helped him compile a 29-4 career record. Shlemenko uses kicks, knees, and a cornucopia of spinning back-fists to stifle his opponents. During his career, he has traveled the world to defeat noteworthy fighters such as Petras Markevicius, Robert McDaniel, and Sean Salmon.

Prediction: Baker by second round TKO

In a much-anticipated Season Two featherweight final, decorated amateur wrestler Joe Warren will take on undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, with the winner battling undefeated champion Joe Soto in the fall.

Warren shocked the mixed martial arts community when he demolished former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe via first-round TKO in his 2009 professional debut. He then outpointed Japanese standout Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto in the semifinal round of the 2009 Dream featherweight Grand Prix before losing in the final to Bibiano Fernandes.

To earn his spot in the Bellator final, Warren earned unanimous decision victories over MMA veteran Eric Marriott, and heralded prospect Georgi Karakhanyan. He intelligently utilizes his wrestling pedigree to overpower opponents and control the pace of the fight. As gifted as he is on the ground, Warren is quickly becoming a dangerous striker with a well-rounded game.

Freire is a well-rounded ground fighter with knockout power in both hands. He enters the final after soundly defeating William Romero and Wilson Reis. The exciting 22-year-old has secured 11 of his 14 career wins by knockout, technical knockout, or submission and half of his fights have not made it out of the first round. He is widely considered one of the top featherweights in the world, as evidenced by his 14-0 professional record.

Prediction: Freire by unanimous decision

Local Feature fights at Bellator XXIII:
Nick Mamalis (9-4) vs. Albert Rios (12-4)
Prediction: Rios by second round submission

Rosi Sexton (9-1) vs. Zoila Frausto (4-1)
Prediction: Sexton by first round knockout

John Troyer (10-4) vs. Brent Weedman (14-5)
Prediction: Weedman by unanimous decision

Daniel Straus (10-2) vs. Chad Hinton(6-1)
Prediction: Hinton by unanimous decision

Dave Overfield (6-1) vs. Kurt Kinser (2-0)
Prediction: Overfield by unanimous decision

Mike Fleniken (2-1) vs. Stoney Hale (3-1)
Prediction: Fleniken by first round knockout

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