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.
+ M-1 Global lightweight title
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ 5 KO victories
+ 22 submission wins
+ 20 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Solid feints and footwork
+ Fundamentally sound striker
^ Seldom out of position
+ Strong inside of the clinch
+ Serviceable wrestling ability
+ Good transitional grappler
+ Excellent submission acumen
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ 1 KO victory
+ 8 submission victories
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ Relentless pace and pressure
^ Improves as the fight wears on
+ Solid combination striker
^ Punctuates well with kicks
+ Excellent transitional grappler
+ Superb scrambler
^ Impeccable improvisation
+ Active and attacking guard
^ Strikes, sweeps, scrambles
Point of interest: Striking the second time around
The co-main event in Uncasville features a fun rematch that takes place within the confines of Bellator’s featherweight grand prix.
In their first meeting, [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] was able to edge out [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] via well-placed counters and instances of control. Both men have continued to sharpen their tools since then, as I will be curious to see if either adjust their vaunted styles for their second meeting.
Hailing from the Roufusport academy, Sanchez possesses all the well-rounded tools you would suspect to see from that gym, something that further fills the bank of techniques that his combinations draw from. Not afraid to string his punches together, Sanchez will vary his levels of attack, punctuating his presence with weapons that range from switch-kicks to spinning assaults.
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The 29-year-old’s talents and vigor only seem to pick to up steam as the fight wears on, however – despite Sanchez’s best efforts to roll his head offline after his attacks – his aggression traditionally tends to make him a bit hittable in the early going, which could be, once again, problematic against a sharpshooter like Weichel.
Despite starting his career as an overly enthusiastic striker who shot sporadically, Weichel has shored up his fundamentals over time and become a sound defensive fighter. The 18-year pro works well behind a high guard, keeping short, jab-cross counters on a hair-trigger.
When feeling in stride, Weichel will punctuate his offensive flurries with hard kicks that range from up high to down low. Still, with Weichel not beyond being countered himself, I will be interested to see if the German fights more or less conservative considering both the high-output opponent and five-round affair that will be in front of him.
Next point of interest: Potential grappling pitfalls
In the main event, featherweight and lightweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) puts his 145-pound title on the line against challenger [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the quarterfinals of the grand prix. “Pitbull” Freire is a big 10-1 favorite from the oddsmakers, and he pitched a shutout from our 14 MMA Junkie editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
The co-main event is another quarterfinal fight in the tournament, and the winner will move on to face the Freire-Carvalho winner in what will be a semifinal bout that doubles as a title fight. [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) is a slight favorite against [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) in a rematch of a fight Weichel won in 2016. But this time, it’s Sanchez with a 10-4 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, [autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) takes on late replacement [autotag]Matt Mitrione[/autotag] (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in a heavyweight bout. Markes was supposed to fight Josh Barnett in a fight rescheduled from December, but Barnett was pulled from the event. Mitrione is the favorite at around -170, but our pickers have it split right down the middle at 7-7.
[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) is a 4-1 favorite in his welterweight fight against [autotag]Sabah Homasi[/autotag] (13-8 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), and the picks reflect that. Only one picker is taking Homasi in an upset, giving Daley a whopping 13-1 edge.
[autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) will try to rebound from his first Bellator loss with another fight in his home state when he takes on [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag] (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) at lightweight. Newell is more than a 2-1 favorite, and he’s our second unanimous pick.
And to open the main card, [autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag] (29-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) is a massive 12-1 favorite against [autotag]Fabio Aguiar[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), who is making his Bellator debut at middleweight. Only one picker is taking Aguiar in what would be a big upset.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Freire (69 percent), Sanchez (61 percent), Mitrione (77 percent), Daley (92 percent), Newell (70 percent) and Tokov (84 percent) are the choices.
MMA Junkie’s Simon Head previews the biggest Bellator 241 storylines, as Patricio Freire puts his featherweight title on the line in the grand prix.
Bellator returns for Bellator 241, as the promotion’s featherweight grand prix continues with the third and fourth quarterfinal matchups.
The featherweight title will be on the line as two-division champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] takes on Dublin-based Portuguese contender [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] in the main event, while the identity of the next man to challenge for the title will be decided in the night’s other quarterfinal, as Bellator mainstays [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] and [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] go head to head in a battle between two featherweight veterans.
The fight card also features a host of familiar names as Bellator matchmaker Rich Chou has stacked the deck for the latest numbered event on Bellator’s packed 2020 schedule.
Bellator 241 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Without further ado, here are five burning questions heading into Bellator 241.
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Can Pedro Carvalho upset the applecart and snatch the title from ‘Pitbull?’
Freire has been fighting in Bellator for almost a decade, and the Brazilian two-division champ is at the peak of his career heading into Bellator 241. Victory for “Pitbull” will see him through to the semifinals of the featherweight grand prix but, more importantly, will also see him retain his 145-pound title.
Freire hasn’t lost since a decision to Daniel Straus five years ago – a result he subsequently avenged – and has looked superb in his two most recent appearances as he stunned Michael Chandler to capture the lightweight belt, then defended his featherweight strap from surging contender Juan Archuleta in the first round of the grand prix.
Now he faces a new challenge in the form of Pedro Carvalho, who arrives in the quarterfinals with an air of unshakable confidence following his arrival in Bellator in 2018.
First he sprung a surprise on his promotional debut by defeating the fancied English prospect Daniel Crawford, then followed up with a 43-second submission of Italian Luca Vitale. That win pushed him into Bellator’s top bracket 145-pound fighters, and a 123-second TKO finish of seasoned veteran Derek Campos served as a statement of intent. It earned him a spot in the featherweight grand prix, where a second-round face-crank finish of another gritty veteran, Sam Sicilia, propelled him into the last eight of the tournament.
After initially matching himself against former bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell in the quarterfinals, Carvalho was then thrust into a title fight when Freire used his “champion’s choice” to shake things up and place himself in the final quarterfinal matchup, against the Portuguese contender.
Most are picking “Pitbull” to prevail, but Carvalho is adamant that he is the man to dethrone him, having told MMA Junkie in the lead-up to the fight that he wouldn’t just beat Freire, he would finish him.
“I’m going to be the first guy to finish him. I doubt he passes the second round.” Those were his words.
Will he make good on that promise, or will Freire march on to the semifinals with his title still intact?
“It will be pressure and domination” this time around, says Daniel Weichel, who lost a close fight to Emmanuel Sanchez in 2016.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] is looking for a much more definitive win over [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag].
The two first fought in 2016, with Weichel (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) edging Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) in a fight that Sanchez is adamant he won.
They will rematch Friday at Bellator 241 in the quarterfinals of the featherweight grand prix, where the stakes are much higher this time. Weichel knows that he’s likely facing a different fighter than the one from almost four years ago, but the goal this time is to leave no doubt.
“Yeah, of course, I have the experience. I fought him,” Weichel told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “To be honest, I prepared for him like for completely new fight. Of course, like I said, I take the experience that I know how he moves, that I know how his body feels, but I analyzed his last fights with my team, and we create a game plan, and it was more on developing my skills and becoming a better fighter for myself to be more dominant and put more pressure on him.
“It will be pressure and domination.”
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The grand prix has given Weichel new life after he dropped two in a row, a failed attempt to capture the Bellator featherweight title against Patricio Freire followed by another split decision loss to Goiti Yamauchi at lightweight.
In the opening round of the tournament at Bellator 228, Weichel defeated Saul Rogers, setting him up with the Sanchez rematch.
“I simply love it,” Weichel said. “The tournament format, especially when you have a couple of months in between, and you can prepare exactly who you know. The opponent you know, you know when, you know where. You have the goal right in front of you the moment you fought, so I love it. Also, you fight the best featherweights on the planet plus you get to earn one million dollars.”
Bellator 241 will take place Friday at Mohegan Sun Casino. The main card is expected to stream on DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.
Check out all the facts and figures about Bellator 241, which takes place Friday with a Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho main event.
Bellator action resumes on Friday with Bellator 241, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a main card that streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
A featherweight championship fight headlines the card as [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) looks to further entrench his legacy as the greatest 145-pound fighter in Bellator history, when he takes on [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in a matchup that also serves as a quarterfinal bout in the ongoing featherweight grand prix.
The card has more to offer than that, though. For all the numbers, check below for 30 pre-event facts about Bellator 241.
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Main event
Patricio Freire
Freire competes in his 23rd Bellator bout, tied with David Rickels for the most appearances in company history.
Freire competes in his 11th Bellator title fight, the second most in company history behind Michael Chandler (12).
Freire’s eight victories in Bellator championship fights are most in company history.
Freire is one of two simultaneous two-division champions in Bellator history. Ryan Bader also accomplished the feat.
Freire is one of three fighters in Bellator history to win titles in two weight classes. Bader and Joe Warren also accomplished the feat.
Freire’s 18 victories in Bellator competition are most in company history.
Freire’s 17 victories in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
Freire’s 11 stoppage victories in Bellator competition are second most in company history behind Chandler (12).
Freire’s 10 stoppage victories in Bellator featherweight competition are second most in divisional history behind A.J. McKee (11).
Freire’s seven knockout victories in Bellator competition are tied for third most in company history behind Patricky Freire (nine) and Douglas Lima (nine).
Freire’s six knockout victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied with McKee for most in divisional history.
Freire’s four submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind McKee (five).
Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho
Carvalho has earned eight of his 11 career victories by stoppage. That includes three of his four Bellator wins.
Carvalho’s four-fight Bellator winning streak at featherweight is tied for the third longest active streak in the division behind McKee (16) and Darrion Caldwell (six).
Co-main event
Emmanuel Sanchez
[autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) competes in his 15th Bellator featherweight bout, tied for the fourth most appearances in divisional history behind Freire (21), Daniel Straus (16) and McKee (16).
Sanchez’s 11 victories by Bellator featherweight competition are third most in divisional history behind Freire (17) and McKee (16).
Sanchez’s four submission victories in Bellator featherweight competition are tied for second most in divisional history behind McKee (five).
Sanchez’s seven decision wins in Bellator featherweight competition are most in divisional history.
[autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) was successful in his return to the Bellator featherweight division in September.
Remaining main card
Paul Daley
[autotag]Paul Daley[/autotag] (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) has earned all 33 career stoppage victories as a result of strikes. That includes six of his eight Bellator wins.
[autotag]Mitrione Mitrione[/autotag]’s (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) three-fight winless skid is the longest of his career. He hasn’t earned a victory since February 2018.
Mitrione vs. Sergei Kharitonov marked the third shortest no-contest in Bellator/UFC/WEC/Strikeforce/PRIDE combined history at just 15 seconds. Only Marius Zaromskis vs. Waachim Spiritwolf (six seconds) at Strikeforce Challengers 12 and Kevin Casey vs. Antonio Carlos Junior (11 seconds) at UFC Fight Night 80 were faster.
All of Mitrione’s career bouts have taken place under the Bellator or UFC banners.
[autotag]Ronny Markes[/autotag] (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) makes his Bellator debut after being a four-fight veteran of PFL and five-fight UFC veteran.
Markes is 3-3 in his past six fights dating back to June 2017.
[autotag]Anatoly Tokov[/autotag]’s (29-3 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) five-fight Bellator winning streak in middleweight competition is the longest active streak in the division.
With his October win over Hracho Darpinyan, Tokov improved to 22-1 in his past 23 fights dating back to April 2012.
Tokov has earned 23 of his 29 career victories by stoppage. That includes four of his five Bellator wins.
[autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) has earned 14 of his 16 career victories by stoppage. He’s finished 12 of those wins by submission.
Check out the faceoffs from some of the biggest upcoming fights on the Bellator schedule, including Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima.
NEW YORK – Bellator hosted a news conference Monday to promote the biggest bouts on its upcoming schedule, and at the end of it the fighters got face to face.
Fourteen athletes from future championship, main event and featherweight grand prix tournament bouts were in attendance, including the headliners from Friday’s Bellator 241 event, [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Pedro Carvalho[/autotag].
In addition, a number of others got a chance to go toe-to-toe, including: [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Daniel Weichel[/autotag] (Bellator 241 on March 13), [autotag]Ryan Bader[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (Bellator 242 on May 9), [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (Bellator 242), [autotag]James Gallagher[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Cal Ellenor[/autotag] (Bellator Europe 8 on May 16), [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Benson Henderson[/autotag] (Bellator 244 on June 6), [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Darrion Caldwell[/autotag] (Bellator 244) and [autotag]Peter Queally[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] (Bellator Dublin on Oct. 3).
Watch the video above to see all the faceoffs from the media event, which took place at Viacom headquarters in Manhattan.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 241 event in Connecticut, featuring a Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho title fight.
We want your predictions for Friday’s Bellator 241 event in Uncasville, Conn.
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 241 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. Bellator 241 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.
Make your picks for all six main card fights inside:
