source: www.mmajunkie.com
Bryan Baker fell short of Bellator gold in the promotion's second season, but he'll soon get a chance to put a nice win on his resume.
The promotion confirmed today that Baker (13-2 MMA, 3-1 BFC) will meet former UFC contender and MMA marathon man Jeremy Horn (86-19-5 MMA, 0-0 BFC) at Bellator 30, according to a press release issued today.
Bellator 30 takes place Sept. 23 at Fourth Street Live! in Louisville, Ky.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported the bout in July.
Baker, a WEC veteran, fought his way onto the promotion's second season tourney with a win over Matt Horwich at Bellator 10 and quickly emerged as a front runner with victories over Sean Loeffler and Eric Schambari in the quarter and semi-finals.
But his seven-fight win streak would come to an abrupt halt when he met Alexander Shlemenko in the tournament's final at Bellator 23 and was TKO'd in the first round.
"The whole goal was to have a shot at the title, and I didn't get to that point, so obviously there is disappointment," Baker stated in today's release. "I didn't get much of a chance to show my abilities in that fight, but I'm excited I get another chance in Louisville to give the fans a good show."
With 100-plus fights on his resume, Horn hasn't slowed down a bit since a three-fight skid forced him from the UFC. In fact, Horn, who once vied for the UFC light heavyweight title against Chuck Liddell, has been on somewhat of a roll on the regional circuit. In 21 months and six post-octagon appearances, he has stopped all but one of his opponents by way of first-round submission.
Not bad for a grizzled veteran.
But despite a massive edge in professional experience, Horn doesn't expect an easy fight from Baker.
"As the sport progresses on, my experience starts to mean less and less in the ring,” Horn stated in the release. "I obviously have a good understanding of when to stay calm and when to turn things on, but for the most part, I feel like a lot of us are on a pretty level playing field.
"With a guy like Bryan, he is a well rounded fighter that doesn't have a lot of weaknesses, and it's just going to be a great fight."
Horn vs. Baker is expected to be part of the night's FOX Sports Net-televised main card.
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Good to see Horn back on TV. Granted Jeremy isn't top 10 anymore, but he's still a solid and dangerous fighter. If Baker can win, it's definitely the biggest of his career. Baker has defeated a few UFC vets already with TKO's over Jesse Forbes and Rory Singer, and a decision win over Matt Horwich. Baker has also defeated the very tough Eric Schambari twice, and MMA journeyman Art Santore. Besides his loss to Shlemenko, the only other fighter to defeat Baker....Chael Sonnen via Decision at WEC 33. Baker has 9 finishes out of his 13 wins. This is a pretty big test for Baker.
A lot of fans don't realize just how good Jeremy Horn is. He hasn't had a notable win in a while, but he does have wins over TUF 11 Champ Court McGee, MMA journeyman Falaniko Vitale, Forrest Griffin, Dean Lister, David Loiseau, Josh Burkman, Trevor Prangley, Gilbert Yvel, Chuck Liddell, and 3 wins against Chael Sonnen (1 via cut, and 2 via Submission). Horn has also gone the distance with some top talent including, Rousimar Palhares, Renato Sobral, Ricardo Arona, current UFC MW Champ Anderson Silva, and 2 current UFC Hall of Famers in Randy Couture and Dan Severn. Horn definitely has the experience edge in this fight. Like Baker, this is a big fight for Horn. Baker is a hot upstart right now, and with a win, Horn would earn his 7th consecutive win and a likely shot at the next Bellator 185lb tournament or even a title fight with the winner of Hector Lombard and Alex Shlemenko.
Bryan Baker fell short of Bellator gold in the promotion's second season, but he'll soon get a chance to put a nice win on his resume.
The promotion confirmed today that Baker (13-2 MMA, 3-1 BFC) will meet former UFC contender and MMA marathon man Jeremy Horn (86-19-5 MMA, 0-0 BFC) at Bellator 30, according to a press release issued today.
Bellator 30 takes place Sept. 23 at Fourth Street Live! in Louisville, Ky.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported the bout in July.
Baker, a WEC veteran, fought his way onto the promotion's second season tourney with a win over Matt Horwich at Bellator 10 and quickly emerged as a front runner with victories over Sean Loeffler and Eric Schambari in the quarter and semi-finals.
But his seven-fight win streak would come to an abrupt halt when he met Alexander Shlemenko in the tournament's final at Bellator 23 and was TKO'd in the first round.
"The whole goal was to have a shot at the title, and I didn't get to that point, so obviously there is disappointment," Baker stated in today's release. "I didn't get much of a chance to show my abilities in that fight, but I'm excited I get another chance in Louisville to give the fans a good show."
With 100-plus fights on his resume, Horn hasn't slowed down a bit since a three-fight skid forced him from the UFC. In fact, Horn, who once vied for the UFC light heavyweight title against Chuck Liddell, has been on somewhat of a roll on the regional circuit. In 21 months and six post-octagon appearances, he has stopped all but one of his opponents by way of first-round submission.
Not bad for a grizzled veteran.
But despite a massive edge in professional experience, Horn doesn't expect an easy fight from Baker.
"As the sport progresses on, my experience starts to mean less and less in the ring,” Horn stated in the release. "I obviously have a good understanding of when to stay calm and when to turn things on, but for the most part, I feel like a lot of us are on a pretty level playing field.
"With a guy like Bryan, he is a well rounded fighter that doesn't have a lot of weaknesses, and it's just going to be a great fight."
Horn vs. Baker is expected to be part of the night's FOX Sports Net-televised main card.
____________________________________________________________________________
Good to see Horn back on TV. Granted Jeremy isn't top 10 anymore, but he's still a solid and dangerous fighter. If Baker can win, it's definitely the biggest of his career. Baker has defeated a few UFC vets already with TKO's over Jesse Forbes and Rory Singer, and a decision win over Matt Horwich. Baker has also defeated the very tough Eric Schambari twice, and MMA journeyman Art Santore. Besides his loss to Shlemenko, the only other fighter to defeat Baker....Chael Sonnen via Decision at WEC 33. Baker has 9 finishes out of his 13 wins. This is a pretty big test for Baker.
A lot of fans don't realize just how good Jeremy Horn is. He hasn't had a notable win in a while, but he does have wins over TUF 11 Champ Court McGee, MMA journeyman Falaniko Vitale, Forrest Griffin, Dean Lister, David Loiseau, Josh Burkman, Trevor Prangley, Gilbert Yvel, Chuck Liddell, and 3 wins against Chael Sonnen (1 via cut, and 2 via Submission). Horn has also gone the distance with some top talent including, Rousimar Palhares, Renato Sobral, Ricardo Arona, current UFC MW Champ Anderson Silva, and 2 current UFC Hall of Famers in Randy Couture and Dan Severn. Horn definitely has the experience edge in this fight. Like Baker, this is a big fight for Horn. Baker is a hot upstart right now, and with a win, Horn would earn his 7th consecutive win and a likely shot at the next Bellator 185lb tournament or even a title fight with the winner of Hector Lombard and Alex Shlemenko.