Tag: Bellator 252

Bellator 252: Make your predictions for Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho

We want your predictions for Thursday’s Bellator 252 event in Connecticut.

We want your predictions for Thursday’s Bellator 252 event in Connecticut.

Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Wednesday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).

Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the Bellator 252 event staff predictions we release Wednesday ahead of the event. Bellator 252 takes place Thursday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network and streams on DAZN following three main card fights below.

A.J. McKee eyeing both of Patricio Freire’s Bellator titles: ‘I want both of them, back to back’

A.J. McKee wants to go after two-division Bellator champion Patricio Freire not once, but twice.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] wants to go after [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] not once, but twice.

The undefeated featherweight, who meets former bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell in the featherweight grand prix semi-finals at Bellator 253 on Nov. 19, could cross paths with dual-champ Freire (30-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA), if both men make it to the tournament final.

But McKee (16-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA) isn’t just going after Freire’s featherweight title, he has his sights set on the Brazilian’s lightweight belt, too.

“That’s an easy fight,” McKee told MMA Junkie Radio. “That’s a warmup. … That’s what I’m looking forward to doing, getting that first belt out the way. I’m gonna do it like Drake said, ‘back to back.’ I want both of them, back to back. I’m gonna give ‘Pitbull’ a little warmup.

“He’s been ducking me since day one. He acts like he doesn’t know who I am or what I’m coming for. He knows that time is coming, but I’m gonna make the first fight look so easy, he’s gonna rethink the second one or his ego’s gonna get in the way and he’s really gonna want the second one. It’s gonna be another cakewalk, I told him I got that leash in the kennel, whenever he wanna go to the pound, I’m ready to take it.”

After stopping Georgi Karakhanyan and Derek Campos, McKee already finds himself in the grand prix semi-finals. Freire on the other hand, is yet to compete in his quarter-final bout. He’s scheduled to face Pedro Carvalho in the main event of Bellator 242 on Nov. 12, just a week before McKee competes for a spot in the final.

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Bellator featherweight grand prix to resume with Freire-Carvalho, Caldwell-McKee headliners

Bellator’s featherweight grand prix resumes with Freire vs. Carvalho and Sanchez vs. Weichel on Nov. 12 and McKee vs. Caldwell on Nov. 19.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – The Bellator featherweight grand prix finally is set to resume.

In addition, the previously reported featherweight title fight between champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag], and the other remaining quarterfinal matchup between [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] ,will take place at Bellator 252 on Nov. 12.

The promotion also will hold an event on Nov. 19, Bellator 253, which will be headlined by a semifinal fight between [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] and [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag].

MMA Junkie confirmed the events and bookings with a promotion official after a report from CBS Sports on Thursday.

Both shows will take place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., as part of a four-show, four-week stretch.

The tournament has been paused since March, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck, forcing Bellator to cancel its remaining two quarterfinal fights the day of the scheduled event. The tournament’s restart has been delayed ever since due to three of four fighters being international and travel restrictions an issue.

Freire (30-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) entered the tournament as champion and successfully defended his belt against now-Bellator bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta. Carvalho (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) defeated Sam Sicilia in his opening round fight.

Weichel (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) submitted Saul Rogers and Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) submitted Tywan Claxton. The winners of Freire-Carvalho and Weichel-Sanchez will square off an event and date to be announced.

As for Caldwell (15-3 MMA, 12-2 BMMA) and McKee (16-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), who are positioned on the other side of the bracket, both men have already fought – and won – twice in the tournament. In the opening round, McKee defeated Georgi Karakhanyan by eight-second knockout, then submitted Derek Campos in the semifinals.

Caldwell, the former Bellator bantamweight champion first defeated Henry Corrales via unanimous decision before submitting Adam Borics in Round 1 in January.

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