The Bellator lightweight title will be on the line in the main event of tomorrow’s Bellator 136 and the next title challenger for the 155 pound title will likely be determined on the same card.
Season ten lightweight tournament winner Marcin Held elected to take a fight instead of waiting for a title fight and he will meet Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy on the main card of Bellator 136.
Sarnavskiy (30-2) is currently on a five fight winning streak and won nine of his last ten fights. The only defeat in his last ten fights came against current Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks and Sarnavskiy will be rooting to Brooks to retain the title.
“I will be rooting for Will Brooks because I want this rematch badly,” Sarnavskiy said to The MMA Report through a translator. “However, he has a tough opponent in Jansen so it’s going to be a tough fight. I still think Brooks will most likely win — maybe on points, judges decision. I will be rooting for Will Brooks.”
Before a potential rematch with Brooks can take place, he needs to get through Held. It’s not secret that Held is a leg lock specialist, but does Sarnavskiy only see him as a leg lock fighter?
“I think he would not want to fight with me standing up and I agree that he is mostly a leg lock specialist,” he said. “However, in maybe the last year or so, he has really progressed in the standup and the standup wrestling. I think that Marcin’s strategy for this fight will be to try to take me down. Go for a submission and most likely a leg lock.”
“I come into this fight prepared for all kind of scenarios that Marcin will be able to do. Even though he is a great leg lock specialist, he is a great grappler. He is very flexible and can go for triangle choke, armbar, or anything else. He can trick any opponent that he is going for a leg lock while he is doing something else. That is why I have been preparing for basically everything.”
If Sarnavskiy is able to get the victory, it will be his sixth win in Bellator. His ideal scenario would be to get a stoppage victory, but he will look for any opening that comes his way.
“It’s a very difficult thing to predict especially in such a tough fight against such as a good opponent in Marcin. I would prefer to finish him standing up. That would be my perfect scenario. We will see how it goes. If I see an opening anywhere, I will try to finish him.”