Tom Casale is a well-respected writer and mixed martial arts fan. Read Casale's predictions for the Bellator Fighting Championships below:

Wilson Reis (6-0) vs. Henry Martinez (5-1)
Reis is my pick to win the Featherweight division, so I obviously like him to emerge victorious in his first fight. Martinez is a wrestler who likes to take the fight to the ground. That's not a good idea against Reis, who is one of the best featherweights in the world when it comes to Brazilian jiu-jitsu. I think Reis controls this fight on the mat and moves on with an early submission win over Martinez.

Predicted Winner: Wilson Reis

Lightweight Tournament: Thomas Schulte (18-6) vs. Eric Reynolds (10-1)
Schulte is one of the best submission artists in MMA. Amazingly, all 18 of his career wins have come by way of submission. Reynolds sports a record of 10-1 and while he may not be as well known as some of the other lightweights competing in Bellator, he is a very talented young fighter. If Schulte tries to take this fight to the ground like I expect he will, he will be playing right into Reynolds' hands. Reynolds is a master at Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Schulte has the edge in experience but I think the young Reynolds continues to roll with an impressive win here.

Predicted Winner: Eric Reynolds

Welterweight Tournament: Lyman Good (7-0) vs. Hector Urbina (12-4)
There will be a lot of eyes on Lyman Good tonight, as many people consider him one of the top young welterweights in MMA. Urbina is no slouch himself and I think he could present a tougher challenge to Good than some anticipate. Urbina is a strong boxer and wrestler but it's hard to go against Good here. Good is a vicious finisher and he likes to keep up a frenetic pace. While I expect this to be an exciting, stand-up fight, look for Good to keep his undefeated record intact at the end of the night.

Predicted Winner: Lyman Good

Welterweight Tournament: Jorge Ortiz (15-4) vs. Aaron Romero (5-2)
Ortiz is an impressive 15-4 and he's fought some tough competitors in his MMA career. Ortiz is known as a dangerous finisher, with 12 of his 15 wins coming by TKO or submission. On the other hand, Romero has never been stopped in seven career fights, so something has to give here. Romero is making a jump in class fighting Ortiz and I think that will be the deciding factor as Ortiz gets another stoppage win.

Predicted Winner: Jorge Ortiz

Welterweight Tournament: Omar De La Cruz (3-1) vs. Victor Meza (9-0)
I'm really looking forward to watching Meza fight in person. Meza has integrated his wrestling background with Muay Thai to make him one of the most well rounded fighters in the welterweight division. De La Cruz is a 3rd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do but I don't see him matching up well with Meza. I expect Meza to move his perfect record to 10-0 after making quick work of De La Cruz.

Predicted Winner: Victor Meza

Non-Tournament Bouts

Matt Makowski (4-1) vs. Aaron Tregear (6-3)

Predicted Winner: Matt Makowski

read more over at http://bellator.typepad.com