Which Bellator veteran – Emmanuel Sanchez or Daniel Weichel – will advance to the semis?
The first quarterfinal match of the night will see two of the most seasoned campaigners in the tournament go head to head, as America’s Emmanuel Sanchez and Germany’s Daniel Weichel do battle for the right to fight for the title – and a place in the final – later this summer.
Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) has lost just twice since the end of 2015 – once to the current champion Freire, and once to the man he faces on Friday night. But his split-decision loss to Weichel (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) came way back in 2016 at Bellator 159, and “El Matador” has looked superb since then as he picked up four straight victories before taking current champ Freire the distance in a losing effort at Bellator 209 back in November 2018. Most recently, Sanchez showed his veteran savvy and big-stage temperament as he defeated then-unbeaten prospect Tywan Claxton in the opening round of the tournament.
Now he goes from a raw talent to a 51-fight veteran in the form of Weichel, who ended a two-fight skid by edging out Brit Saul Rogers on the scorecards in the opening round of the tournament. The German has also gone the distance with Freire, and narrowly lost out via split decision at Bellator 203.
The duo’s recent tussles with the champion show just how close they are to potential championship glory, but only one of them will get the opportunity to fight for the gold next time around. There’s a title shot and a place in the semifinals at stake, and its winner takes all.
But who will prevail in the battle of the Bellator veterans?