Everything You Need To Know Before KOTD's "Battles At The Bunker"

When the initial lineup for King Of The Dot's first "Battles At The Bunker" was announced, some in the battle community were a little underwhelmed. Though many of the battles looked solid, some Kfans lamented the lack of big names on the (pre-Dizaster vs. DNA) card. In the second installment of the series, it's fair to say that those complaints won't be coming. The main event is KOTD crowd favorite Bigg K facing off against long-time vet Cortez, with The Saurus vs. QP providing a solid undercard.

Here's the full lineup for the July 23 event:

• Bigg K vs. Cortez
• The Saurus vs. QP
• Bender vs. Fredo
• The Deadman vs. Marlo
• Random vs. Baby J

The main event is a strong stylistic match-up, as both Cortez and Bigg K have a street style, and are just both really, really good rappers. Bigg K is arguably undefeated in KOTD, and every single outing has been well received by the league's fanbase. Cortez too has had several impressive battles on the KOTD platform, and is someone with an extensive enough resume that this doesn't feel like a step down for K. Bigg K had a battle with Showoff at RBE earlier this month that had many in the building saying he lost (and others saying those reports were off-base) so in this battle he'll likely be looking for a clearer win.

QP vs. The Saurus is a match-up of two emcees who were the forefathers of two different styles that influenced innumerable other battlers. The Saurus, through his dominance of the freestyle era, spawned a generation of clones who attempted to emulate his style, to mixed success. QP is one of the progenitors of the wordplay and scheme-heavy style that has been dominant over the past few years. Fast-forward to 2016, and both QP and Saurus are still as good as ever, and this has all the makings of a very entertaining clash.

Fredo has long been an emcee that seasoned fans thought needed stronger competition and at BATB, he'll get exactly that. Bender is a former KOTD champion who is capable of monster performances. While Bender's material is always strong, there have been instances where it was not delivered well, or in cases like vs. The Saurus, didn't get out at all. When he gives a clean performance he's a talented rapper and otherworldly writer, and if that's the Bender that shows up, Fredo could be in for a long night.

Marlo is perhaps the most surprising name on this card, if for no other reason than Shuffle-T is nowhere in sight. Marlo's had strong performances in his 2-on-2s with his long-time partner, but 1-on-1 has been more of a mixed bag. Deadman has been at his best lately, with impressive showings on KOTD against Big Kannon and Jonny Storm.

The card's warm-up battle brings some up-and-comers to the West Coast, with emcee/cartoonist Random taking on Baby J, known to most battle fans as Lu Cipher's cornerman. The two actually faced off recently and J's debut was impressive enough for him to get the invite to this event.

Order tickets and live PPV (hosted by Dirtbag Dan and Laugh 'N Stalk) here.

Predictions? Let us know in the comments below.