After a great quarterfinal round of fights at Bellator 50 the middleweights are back with semifinal action this weekend at Bellator 54 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The four remaining middleweights will enter the Bellator cage inside the Boardwalk Hall looking to punch their ticket to the finals and one step closer to a title shot.

Each of the two semifinal bouts features a Bellator veteran taking on a promotional newcomer.

Tournament winner in season two Alexander Shlemenko (41-7), looking to get another shot at Hector Lombard will be taking on Brian Rogers (8-2). Currently on a seven fight winning streak (all finishes), Rogers made a big splash in his Bellator debut when he defeated Victor O’Donnell by first round TKO in the opening round of the tournament. Neither one of these fighters generally see their fights go the distance so expect fireworks in this one.

Season two running up Bryan Baker (16-2) come up short against Shlemenko 16 months ago and is looking to reach the finals again but he’ll need to get past Vitor Vianna (11-1-1) first. The wand fight team product squeaked by Sam Alvey in his Bellator debut and will need to have a better showing against Baker.

Not to be overshadowed on the card is the Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky (13-2) as he makes his second appearance since winning the title last year. His non-title fight opponent is Ryan Roberts (16-9-1) who has seen action in Bellator as well as the UFC. Makovsky has to wait for this season’s bantamweight tournament to conclude before he can finally make his first title defense.

The last fight on the main card is a lightweight bout between Rene Nazare and Jacob Kirwan with a possibly berth in next seasons lightweight tournament on the lone. The night’s undercard which will stream live on Spike.com features five bouts including past tournament fighters and intriguing prospects.

Four solid fights grace the Bellator 54 main card, now onto my bold predictions….

Main Card (MTV2)

185 lbs. Semifinal bout: Brian Rogers will defeat Alexander Shlemenko by 2^nd rd TKO

• The best fight of the night will have the fans on their feet from the opening bell. The explosiveness of Rogers will give Shlemenko troubles all night and another head kick will set up a ground and pound finish for Rogers.

185 lbs. Semifinal bout: Bryan Baker will defeat Vitor Vianna by 3^rd rd TKO

• Vianna will keep the fight close in the beginning but Baker will make sure the fight doesn’t hit the judges scorecard with a late round push and finish.

135 lbs.: Zach Makovsky will defeat Ryan Roberts by 2^nd rd Submission (rear naked choke)

• Makovsky is not going to become the first Bellator champ to lose in a non-title fight. He’ll wear down his opponent in the first round and once that happens he’ll submit him in the second round.

155 lbs.: Renê Nazare will defeat Jacob Kirwan by 1^st rd Submission (Armbar)

• Nazare will be too much for Kirwan and once the fight hit the canvas (which will be early) the fights over.

Local Feature Fights (Spike.com)

185 lbs.: Daniel Gracie will defeat Duane Bastress by Submission

205 lbs.: Tim Carpenter will defeat Ryan Contaldi by Unanimous Decision

170 lbs.: Joey Kirwan will defeat Lewis Runsey by Submission

Women’s 145 lb bout: Andria Caplan will defeat Adrienne Seiber by Unanimous Decision

Bantamweight bout: Brian Kelleher will defeat Claudio Ledesma by Unanimous Decision