Tag: Bellator 241

Despite 51 career bouts, Daniel Weichel says Bellator 241 ranks No. 1 as his craziest fight week ever

Bellator featherweight contender Daniel Weichel recalls the crazy sequence of events that led to Bellator 241 being canceled as the COVID-19 outbreak hit the United States.

With 51 professional fights to his name, Bellator featherweight contender [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] has seen plenty of crazy things over the course of his MMA career. But nothing prepared him for the rollercoaster ride of his most recent fight week.

Two-time featherweight title challenger Weichel (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) was all set to take on American Emmanuel Sanchez in the quarterfinals of the featherweight grand prix at Bellator 241 at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. on March 12. But, as fight week evolved, the world became a very different place as the enormity of the COVID-19 outbreak became apparent across the U.S.

It meant the event went from a full arena show to a behind-closed-doors event during the course of the week. Then, on the morning of fight day itself, the event was called off.

It was an unprecedented fight week for Bellator, and one that Weichel had never seen anything like before in his seasoned career.

“This was definitely the craziest thing I’ve ever experienced in a fight week,” he told MMA Junkie from his home in Frankfurt, Germany. “I was watching the news a little bit at that time and I was aware that this was possible, but I put it on the side. I had 100 percent focus on the fight. So it was fight day, my weight was good, everything was good, training camp was good, diet was good, weight cut, everything. Then we went for the workout that we do on fight day, and there were rumors that the event was going to be canceled.

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“We were like, ‘OK, no. We don’t listen to this. We will go, we will work out and we will see from there.’ And we went to the workout room, and there was one other guy on the phone and he said, ‘No way! The event is canceled.’ Then it was like, ‘Oh! It seems to be real.’ Then a load of fighters came out of the office and, yeah, we found out that it’s going to be canceled.”

Weichel had done the hard work, completed his training camp and had even made weight for the fight before eventually being told the event was off. Understandably, for a fighter who had spent months preparing to peak for an event that night, the news came as a body blow.

“Man, you’re in the middle of nowhere, and I was ready to go to war,” he recalled. “Now we are just going back to Germany without fighting. It was really strange.”

Weichel is now staying safe and staying at home in Germany as, like the rest of us, he is adapting to life in quarantine. But he said that he hopes to pick up where he left off in Uncasville and eventually meet Sanchez in their quarterfinal bout once Bellator is able to start running events again.

“I still have this fight in my mind, and I’m looking forward to going for it, but at that time, it was a really, really strange situation,” Weichel said.

To hear the full interview with Weichel, check out the video below.

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Pedro Carvalho vows to be ready for rebooked Bellator title shot: ‘I will become world champion’

Despite the delay, Pedro Carvalho is confident that he will fulfill his destiny of becoming Bellator featherweight champion.

[autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] was moments away from the biggest fight of his career. Then everything was shut down.

Carvalho (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) was scheduled to challenge featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] in the featherweight grand prix quarterfinals at Bellator 241. But just hours before the event, the promotion decided to postpone the show due to the growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

Despite not knowing when he’ll get to fight next, Carvalho remains confident that he will fulfill his destiny, regardless.

“I’m not frustrated at all,” Carvalho told MMA Junkie. “Of course, when I found out that the fight was canceled it was rough. But I’m not frustrated. I will become world champion. It doesn’t matter if it’s March 13 or if it will be end of this year. It doesn’t matter. I will become world champion, so I’m OK with it.”

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Unbeaten inside the Bellator cage, SBG Ireland’s Carvalho is currently back home in Portugal spending time with his family during the coronavirus crisis, but he continues to train every day.

“I’m not world champion yet, so the objective wasn’t accomplished, so I’m still in camp,” Carvalho said. “So I’m still training everyday. Of course the gyms are closed, I don’t have teammates around me so I have to do things by myself, but I’m staying active. I’m keeping myself on weight – I could make weight if the fight was next weekend or something.”

Carvalho thinks his fight with Freire will be rebooked for late August or September, when things will have hopefully resumed back to normal. And the betting underdog will look to shock the world on fight night.

“Whenever Bellator (has) a date, I will be there,” Carvalho said. “I will be again in the best shape of my life. I will be at the peak that I can be and I’ll go out there and do what I do best and that is fight, perform and beat Patricio.”

Matt Mitrione praises Bellator for postponements: ‘You can’t force a square peg in a round hole’

Matt Mitrione believes Bellator avoided a “significant black eye” in the media by postponing recent and upcoming events.

It may have cost him an opportunity to compete, but [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] appreciates Bellator looking after his best interests in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

Mitrione (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) was one of the fighters who was set to compete at Bellator 241 on March 13 in Uncasville, Conn. The event was held right around the time the coronavirus outbreak got serious in the United States, with the NBA postponing its season then nearly every major sports organization following shortly thereafter.

Bellator 241 was originally moved behind closed doors with no fans, but then on the day of the event, the decision was made by Bellator president Scott Coker to pull the plug entirely. The card was postponed to an undermined date, and while it prevented Mitrione from competing in his scheduled heavyweight bout with Ronny Markes, the fighter did not question the action his promoter took.

“It was unfortunate that happened; it was unfortunate it got canceled,” Mitrione told MMA Junkie. “I understand why. Mr. Coker made the right decision. Say we did get (coronavirus); I don’t know if we would be that drastically affected or not, but after that we have to go home, we have to be with our kids and our family. It just wasn’t the safest of opportunities. I feel like Mr. Coker realized that. I understand it and appreciate it.”

Mitrione’s instinct as a fighter is always to go forward, but much like a referee or cornerman in a competition setting, sometimes the decision has to be made for the athlete. Seeing how the global situation has evolved makes Mitrione even more comfortable. Unlike the UFC, who put on an event in Brazil the day after Bellator 241 was supposed to take place, Mitrione said Bellator put its fighters first.

“It would’ve been great to get out there and perform, but you can’t force a square peg in a round hole,” Mitrione said. “I feel like this could’ve been a more significant black eye. The chances of getting sick weren’t really that good, but the chances of having a lasting impression of a social black eye would’ve been pretty sign.”

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Although Mitrione lost out on a chance to throw fists with Markes, he did not lose out on a paycheck. Bellator announced not long after postponing the event that all fighters from the card would be paid their complete purses.

For Mitrione, as well as many others, that gesture was met with gratitude. Mitrione said it’s just another example of how Bellator cares for its athletes, especially in a time of great uncertainty.

“One hundred percent transparency – Bellator was great,” Mitrione said. “They handled it professional, they were cool about it. My family was there so we ended up going out for dinner and just sitting around and hanging out and they came and found me and explained the situation. It was handled extremely well by Bellator. That’s one of the things I’ve always enjoyed about Bellator and Mike Kogan and Scott Coker. They always handle the situations exactly the way you’d hope they do. It was an unfortunate experience for everybody, but they handled it quite literally as well as they possibility could’ve.”

For Mitrione, the loss of an opportunity to fight at Bellator 241 wasn’t at great as others. He was serving as a replacement for Josh Barnett against Markes, and had less than three weeks’ notice in order to prepare, anyway. But after being so close, he’s itching to fight soon.

Bellator recently announced it was also postponing its May event schedule, which means the next card that sits on the calendar is in early June. Assuming the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t claim that event, too, Mitrione said he would enjoy the opportunity to fight close to home in the midwest.

“I’m trying to fight June 6 in Chicago,” Mitrione said. “I would love the opportunity to get on that card. I already told Mr. Coker that’s what I’m looking for.”

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After negative coronavirus test, Bellator champ Patricio Freire back to training – with some adjustments

Like many fighters, Patricio Freire had to make some adjustments to his training with new coronavirus safety laws and recommendations in place.

Like many fighters, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] had to make some adjustments to his training with new coronavirus safety laws and recommendations in place.

Freire (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) was scheduled to headline Bellator 241 on March 14 against Pedro Carvalho. However, the event was canceled hours prior to start time. From there, Freire boarded a plane and headed home to his native Brazil.

Upon arrival, Freire, brother Patricky Freire, and their boxing coach decided to isolate themselves from everyone else. While none of them presented any symptoms, they took coronavirus tests as a precaution. They all came back negative.

“After we returned, it was me, my brother and our boxing coach,” Freire told MMA Junkie in Portuguese through an interpreter. “We were in isolation in my house. Neither of us had any symptoms, but we took the coronavirus test anyway in order to be safe. We have kids and a family to come back to. We thought it was best to be safe about it. All of the tests came back negative.”

State mandates forced the Freire’s “Pitbull Brothers Artes Marciais” gym to close, but they’ve still found a way to get training in – even if it means working in their condo complex.

“All this week, we’ve trained boxing,” Freire said. “I live in a big condo, so there’s a lot of space for us to run. We were preparing the best way we could. That’s what we plan on continuing doing. The gym is closed for an undetermined amount of time. We have a federal and state decree saying gyms and everything that’s sanctioned can’t be open.

“Our practices and everything are suspended, and we’re telling everyone to train by themselves in an open space. We all have family, and we don’t want to risk their safety. I have a wife and two kids, including one newborn here.”

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Currently in the midst of the Bellator featherweight grand prix, Freire is the promotion’s 145-pound titleholder. In the eyes of many, he’s the face of the tournament. Despite this, Freire isn’t itching to return as soon as possible. He recognizes the seriousness of the coronavirus and wants to wait see how things play out.

“I’m healthy; I thank God for that,” Freire said. “I’m letting the dust settle, enjoying our time with our loved ones. I think we were all needing something like that. It’s probably something that came because we were needing it. I think humanity needed a pause, and this is what’s happening right now.”

While Bellator has remained largely quiet about plans in the immediate future, the UFC’s current mission statement is clear. The UFC wants to put on shows – with or without fans. Bellator president Scott Coker recently told MMA Junkie the promotion could look at doing audience-less shows down the line, but Freire isn’t fond of the idea.

“Bellator has all the means to pull off something like that,” Freire said. “I’m sure they’re thinking about all the possibilities and how to move forward with the fights and the postponed card in its entirety. I really feel kind of weird. The public looks for the fights. It’s different to see that atmosphere with the audience there and the cheering – all of those noises. I don’t know if it’d really be as meaningful if we closed two guys in the studio and have them fight – especially for a big fight like that. I don’t know what to think or to expect.

“We’ll have to wait and see what’s next.”

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Patricio Freire praises Bellator postponement: Others ‘treat fighters like they’re numbers’

Patricio Freire appreciates how Bellator handled concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] didn’t fight March 14 at Bellator 241 as planned, but he’s OK with that.

Freire (30-4 MMA, 18-4 UFC), the current Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion, was scheduled to face Pedro Carvalho in the quarterfinals of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix. However, due to coronavirus concerns, Bellator postponed the event mere hours prior to start time.

While disappointed, Freire understands the move. Bellator prioritized the fighters’ health and safety over their fight night earnings and Freire commends that.

“We were all ready,” Freire told MMA Junkie in Portuguese through an interpreter. “I got the news while I was doing my last training before the event. Every day of the fight, in the morning or early afternoon, I get together with my team, and we go over the strategy and the gameplan again. We have a little practice. Right then, someone from Bellator told us.

“It’s a bit frustrating, but I believe Bellator did the right thing. The fighters and staff and everyone involved had their health put first. During these times that we’re going through, I think that was the best possibility.”

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Shortly after the Bellator 241 postponement came to light, promotion president Scott Coker announced all fighters, officials, production members, and other personnel would be paid.

Freire has been a member of the Bellator roster since early 2010. Bellator 241 wasn’t the first instance “Pitbull” has felt “embraced and happy” to be a part of the company. He respects its effort to take care of employees – especially compared to other promotions, he said.

“It’s not the first time I’ve felt so embraced and happy to be with an organization such as Bellator,” Freire said. “We see some other organizations treat fighters like they’re numbers. With Bellator, it’s very different from that – whether it’s someone like me, a champion, or someone who’s getting their first fight in the organization.

“They treat everyone with a lot of respect and care. It’s pretty much an honor for me to be a part of an organization that works like this, who puts our safety and our health before their gains. Every time we’re there, they treat us like family.”

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Paul Daley warns Sabah Homasi: Sign to fight again, and there’s nothing that will save you

Paul Daley and Sabah Homasi may have not competed this past Friday, but that doesn’t mean they can’t keep things heated.

[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] and [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] may not have gotten to fight this past Friday, but that doesn’t mean they can’t keep things heated.

Bellator 241, that was set to take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., was canceled just hours prior to the event, a decision Bellator president Scott Coker took for everyone’s health and safety amid the global COVID-19 pandemic.

With the show postponed, Daley (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) took to Instagram to taunt Homasi (13-8 MMA, 3-2 BMMA), telling him that there’s no more escaping. The two were first scheduled to fight in October, before a colon infection forced Homasi out.

Instead, Daley faced veteran Saad Awad at Bellator 232, taking him out in the second round.

“1st time, you didn’t show up @saadmma had to take the beating for you, 2nd time a global pandemic put a stop to the show….We sign this fight again….3rd time round, there is nothing that will save you.”

It didn’t take long for Homasi to fire back, who vows to test Daley’s chin when they fight. Homasi made quick work of  Micah Terrill in his return to Bellator last August, knocking him out in just 17 seconds.

“Listen up you old ass ninja turtle looking fuck @semtex170 .. this is the last time I respond to you via social media. I’ll let you do what you do best and that’s run your big ass mouth.. I’ll save my energy for when it comes down to when that cage door locks. Make sure you don’t Come up with a sorry ass excuse either on why you can’t make weight. Make the contracted weight or cough up 20%. Ps: make sure you hire @boltwrestling because you will need him. Once my right hand connects to your ninja turtle lookin chin you will try to grab my legs like you did with @michaelvenompage.”

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Scott Coker stands by decision to cancel Bellator 241 amid coronavirus outbreak: ‘I just didn’t feel comfortable’

Bellator president Scott Coker discusses cancelation on Bellator 241, how promotion will be impacted by coronavirus moving forward.

[autotag]Scott Coker[/autotag] doesn’t regret the call to cancel last week’s Bellator 241.

The Bellator president believes he ultimately made the right choice in postponing the card just hours away from the event going live amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak in the U.S.

The card was supposed to take place this past Friday night at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Pedro Carvalho were scheduled to headline the event in a featherweight title fight that also served as a Bellator featherweight grand prix quarterfinal.

“It’s a tough call,” Coker said on a recent episode of “The Luke Thomas Show.” “All the fighters were there, they weighed in, and it was already decided it was going to be a situation with no crowd. But certain things, I started talking to my staff saying, ‘If you don’t feel comfortable and want to be with your families, please go.’ The President had an emergency announcement and a lot of people thought it was going to shut the country down, that was the speculation.

“At the end of the day, I say we made the right call. I feel really good about that, and so does the company. When this thing finally comes to an end one day hopefully soon, we’ll get back to promoting the fights.”

At the time, there was a lot of uncertainty around how badly and how soon the outbreak could affect the U.S. Coker had the option to continue the event, but behind closed doors, barring fans from attending the the fights.

Yet, Coker and his team still decided not to continue on, and he says the decision boiled down to one key factor.

“There was one thing on my mind: ‘Is my staff, my fighters, my production crew, are we putting our people in harms way?,’ and I just couldn’t come to an answer on that,” Coker explained.

“I believe we made the right call because who really knows, right? I wasn’t sure about the situation, and rumors start flying around. And at the end of the day, I just didn’t feel comfortable, some of my staff didn’t feel comfortable, some of the production crew didn’t feel comfortable. So after a while, you go, ‘This is not going to be an event that we’re going to want to promote and feel good about promoting.’

“We’re talking about hours away from the first fight, so everyone was there, and then it was a matter of scrambling and getting everyone out of there. Because if there was a ban on flights, we need to get everyone to the airport and get them back into the city. We had people from out of the country that couldn’t fly after Monday, so we just felt the need that we needed to get these guys out of here. There is a time where people should be at home with their families hunkering down and being ready for whatever it is that’s going to come next.”

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Even with no event, Bellator still paid fighters, staff, and contractors that were supposed to work Bellator 241. Everyone was paid in full.

Coker is not sure to what extent coronavirus will affect MMA and sports in general. He’s not sure how the future will hold for Bellator, but at least there’s some time to address future events.

“We don’t know how long this is going to go on, how long before we can get test kits, test everyone, and create a vaccine,” Coker said. “Right now, there is so much uncertainty. I don’t want to speculate, but I don’t look at it as just the MMA industry. I look at it as a whole sports-and-entertainment sector and the talking about billions of dollars at that point.

“NBA is down, MLB is postponed, masses are canceled. I was in New York earlier in the week, and we had an amazing press conference and that to me seems like months ago now compared to when we were there announcing all of our great fights. It just seems like such great distance of time from that.

“We’re on a whole new pattern like everyone else. The only thing we can say is that on our calendar we didn’t have anything scheduled until May 9, so that gives us a couple of months window to see how it unfolds.”

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Patricio Freire, Pedro Carvalho admit frustration, but praise Bellator for coronavirus response

Main event stars Patricio Freire and Pedro Carvalho both praised the promotion for their handling of the Bellator 241 postponement in Uncasville, Conn.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] should have met inside the Bellator cage by now, but matters above and beyond their control meant the two featherweight rivals were left frustrated as Bellator 241 was postponed just hours before they were due to fight.

The decision was taken after coronavirus concerns escalated ahead of the planned event in Uncasville, Conn., on Friday night. Bellator officials confirmed the postponement with MMA Junkie following an initial report by Fightful.com, and president Scott Coker subsequently announced the postponement via social media.

It was an unprecedented situation for the promotion – and its fighters – to deal with and, after the dust had settled on a frustrating night, the two main event stars told MMA Junkie that they believed Bellator had made the right move.

“As far as I know, at the moment Bellator is taking care of their athletes’ health,” said Carvalho (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), who was set to challenge for the featherweight title in his first Bellator main event. “They’re making a point to not put our health at risk. I agree with that, 100 percent. When I found the card was off, I was devastated, but now I’ve cooled off. I’m very happy to see this action and the care that Bellator has for us.”

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Reigning two-division champion Freire (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) was similarly upset to begin with, but on reflection said he was in agreement with his opposite number.

“Unfortunately, with this coronavirus problem, it was not possible to carry out the event,” Freire said. “It’s frustrating, but Bellator did the right thing. I know it wasn’t an easy decision.”

While the event, itself, did not go ahead, Bellator confirmed that they would pay all of the fighters on the card who had made weight for their respective bouts on Thursday their contracted show money for the event.

Freire said he respected the way he and his fellow fighters were treated, considering the amount of upheaval the Bellator team were forced to endure during a testing 48-hour period that saw them first change the event to a behind-closed-doors show, then postpone it completely.

“Two days before traveling, I contacted Bellator and talked about the possibility of canceling due to family problems,” said the featherweight and lightweight champion. “I know the impact that this would have on the event. Imagine having to cancel all bouts, TV deals all over the world, and the effect on the public and staff. Still, they treated us extremely well at all times, handed all the fighters their win pay, and reassured us in the best possible way.”

With their in-cage rivalry on hold, at least for the immediate future, Freire and Carvalho are united in their hope that the ongoing crisis affects as few people as possible and the pandemic eventually runs its course.

“I feel that people should be cautious and remain calm,” offered Carvalho. “All of this will be temporary. We just have to stay together, keep a positive attitude, and everything will go well.”

“I hope this coronavirus problem passes soon, and everyone can recover,” agreed Freire. “The impact is very big. I’ve read about people worried about losing their jobs because they can’t go to work, and many other factors such as schools closing. I think that everyone’s health comes first. The rest is secondary. May God take care of us all.”

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Video: Fighters react to Bellator 241’s postponement on day of event

After fighters on the Bellator 241 card made weight Thursday and had faceoffs with their opponents, everything seemed fairly normal.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – After fighters on the Bellator 241 card made weight Thursday and had faceoffs with their opponents, everything seemed fairly normal.

But later that afternoon came word from Connecticut’s governor that gatherings in excess of 250 people were banned for now in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Bellator responded by shutting down the event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville to fans. Instead of a normally fairly packed house in one of the promotion’s most visited venues, the fights were set to go on – with no one cheering but the corners.

On Friday afternoon, though, everything got turned on its head and Bellator decided to postpone the event outright – taking just about everyone by surprise, given it appeared to be set to go off, albeit under unique circumstances.

In the wake of the cancellation, MMA Junkie caught up with co-main event featherweight tournament fighter [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag], as well as popular Connecticut-based fighter [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag], [autotag]Justin Sumter[/autotag] and [autotag]Romero Cotton[/autotag] to get their reactions to having not only their fights, but the entire card scrapped on the day of the event.

Check out what they had to say in the video above.

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Bellator doesn’t have another event scheduled until May 8 in San Jose, Calif. But given the current state of large gatherings the world over due to the coronavirus outbreak, nothing is set in stone anymore and time will tell just when Bellator gets fighters back into action.

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