By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
Bellator's very first Heavyweight Champion will be crowned on October 14, as season three tournament finalists Cole Konrad and Neil Grove will meet at Bellator 32. The organization announced the bout today, which will come to the Kansas City Power and Light District.
"I'm much more excited about it than I anticipated I would be at this point in the development of our heavyweight tournament," Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMATorch on Tuesday's Livecast at BlogTalkRadio.com.
"I think people will be shocked to see what Neil Grove is able to do when Cole gets him down; and there's no question Cole will get him down, and you'll have five rounds to watch it."
Konrad, the two time NCAA D-1 wrestling Champion from the University of Minnesota - and training partner of UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar - has drawn criticism for his performances in Bellator, as his dominant wrestling game has allowed him to win fight after fight so far in his time with Bellator.
"If you're a fan of striking and you're a fan of Muay Thai or you're a fan of boxing you may not be the biggest Cole Konrad fan in the world but he just keeps winning," Rebney said. "And he wins every round of every fight in dominant fashion, he leaves no question in anyone's mind."
Rebney addressed the criticism of Konrad's style, and he believes the 6-0 professional, while still having a ways to go, will be an even bigger force down the line.
"What people forget about Cole Konrad is that he is brand new to this game," said Rebney. "It's just about maturing in this game. You're going to be a great fighter when you're in a position where you've got great skill and you can react and not think. When Cole Konrad reacts he goes for that which he does better than anyone else in the world and that's wrestling.
"Cole Konrad is going to round out those skills, just like Joe Warren is rounding out those skills, just like Ben Askren is rounding out those skills. And when he does, he's going to be more of a force than he currently is; and he's a pretty spectacular force [right now]."
But where he sees plenty of room for improvement out of Konrad, Rebney said he's been most impressed with Grove in this tournament.
"I have been hugely, pleasantly surprised by the performance of Neil Grove," he said. "I didn't expect it. Grove has been amazingly impressive.
"People don't realize he's a black belt on the ground... He's strong as a house, he's got punching power in both hands, his kicks are devastating and debilitating and he's really good on the ground, so we've got a heck of a heavyweight final on our hands."
Penick's Analysis: I'm definitely interested in this fight, more to see how Konrad handles someone with Grove's power before he can get them to the ground, but at the same time the prospect of watching Konrad smother Grove for five rounds is a dreadful one. They've absolutely got to be hoping for an entertaining fight out of Grove, because while Konrad still has nowhere to go but up in his career, he hasn't progressed to the point where his fights are too exciting to watch. I hope he proves all the doubters wrong and puts on a great performance, I just won't be expecting that to happen. We've got plenty more from Rebney from last night's interview on many more subjects, so give it a listen!
MMATORCH LIVECAST: Listen to the full 50 minute interview with Bjorn Rebney on the 9/21 edition of the MMATorch Livecast -
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UFC President Dana White will join heavyweights Frank Mir and Mirko Cro Cop on Thursday at the UFC 119 pre-fight press conference, and if you can't be there at the Old National Center in Indianapolis, you can watch live right here at MMAFighting.com.
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