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.
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.
If you’ve got nearly six hours to kill, here you go with some classic Bellator action.
Since its first event held in 2009, Bellator has given us some of the most memorable fights in MMA history.
While events remain on hold because of coronavirus pandemic, Bellator has put 20 of its greatest bouts – “fire” fights, if you will – all in one place, which you can watch in the video above.
The complete list, which goes for nearly six hours, includes:
A.J. McKee reveals a pair of run-ins with rival Emmanuel Sanchez, and says he’d relish the chance to face him in the Bellator featherweight grand prix final.
[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag] doesn’t care who he faces if he gets to the Bellator featherweight grand prix final, but there’s one man on the opposite side of the draw who he has a score to settle with.
Speaking to MMA Junkie from his home, McKee (16-0 MMA, 16-0 BMMA) explained that he would relish the chance to face [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] in the tournament finale.
“I already had a dream I choked out Emmanuel Sanchez and, last time we came face to face, I had him shaking in his boots a little bit,” he explained.
“He got a little mouthy and I had to let him know like, ‘Yo, dog. We’re not in the cage right now. I’m gonna bite your face, I’m gonna try and hurt you. Have the respect outside of the cage, especially if you’re not even fighting, you’re at someone else’s fight who’s fighting.”
McKee revealed he had experienced two separate altercations with Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) at Bellator events in the past and, on both occasions, he said Sanchez lost his cool.
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McKee, meanwhile, insisted he maintained his own composure, confident that he’ll hold the upper hand if the pair ever meet inside the Bellator cage in the future.
It’s those run-ins that have left a bad taste in McKee’s mouth, and “The Mercenary” said he’d like to teach the Bellator veteran a little respect by facing him inside the cage in the final of the 145-pound grand prix.
“There’s a respect level that needs to be maintained as professional athletes, and a lot of guys don’t have that,” he explained. “So, me coming up the way I grew up in the gym, with the fighters and stuff, if they don’t have that respect, they’ll get put in their place real quick. So I’d definitely like to get my hands on Emmanuel Sanchez, just to show him how it is one time.”
McKee is set to face Darrion Caldwell in the semifinals of the Bellator featherweight grand prix, while Sanchez is slated to face Germany’s Daniel Weichel in their quarterfinal bout. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has put the Bellator schedule on hold, there are not yet dates scheduled for the fights.
If Sanchez is successful, then captures the title from the winner of the bout between Patricio Freire and Pedro Carvalho in the semis, he could find himself facing McKee in the final itself.
For McKee, that’s the ideal scenario for him to finish his tournament.
“I’m not much of a talker, but when that time comes, he knows what’s to come, and I’m gonna put a beating on him,” he said.
“We aren’t basketball players or football players, etc., who get signed to million dollar deals or guaranteed money whether we play or we don’t.”
In retrospect, [autotag]Emmanuel Sanchez[/autotag] says he understands why his Bellator 241 fight was canceled.
Almost months removed from having a fight on the books, Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) has embraced a positive, understanding attitude in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic. When the dust settles and normalcy returns, Sanchez thinks MMA fighters will be seen as heroes.
“I think we’re going to be seen as heroes,” Sanchez told MMA Junkie on Tuesday. “A lot of people are against it. We’ve got to take our necessary precautions. That’s the beautiful thing about being a martial artist and a fighter. This isn’t a team sport. This is us in a ring, and this is how we provide for ourselves. We’ve got to be able to fight to make a living. We’ve got to be able to train to take care of ourselves. Otherwise, what else are we going to do?
“We aren’t basketball players or football players, etc., who get signed to million dollar deals or guaranteed money whether we play or we don’t. We have to fight to make a living, so we’re really going to be the unsung heroes here.”
On March 12, Sanchez was hours away from stepping in the cage to fight Daniel Weichel at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. The fight was a quarterfinal matchup in the Bellator featherweight grand prix.
“I had a whole post-fight interview (planned),” Sanchez said. “You know what I mean? (I knew) what I was going to say. … All fight week, I’m in New York. I’m shaking hands. I’m meeting people and other fight teams. I’m doing whatever. In my mind, in my world, I’m getting ready to win this grand prix, win this fight, on to the next fight, etc.”
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Disappointed, Sanchez booked a flight immediately after hearing news of the cancellation. During his journey from Connecticut to Wisconsin, he slowly realized the cancellation wasn’t as important as other happenings in the world.
“There I was thinking, ‘Man, here I am. I’m supposed to be getting ready to fight right now, and I’m getting on a flight back to Milwaukee,'” Sanchez said. “I come to find out people were beating each other up for toilet paper. … It was hard for me to fully understand all that was going on. More and more, as I started to learn, hear and find out what was happening, I became more and more sentimental toward the situation – and empathetic with the situation. I’ve been trying to do my part and be smart and be wise and do what needed to be done.”
Bellator president Scott Coker has hinted the promotion has begun looking into crowd-less events in anticipation of a summer 2020 return. Whenever or wherever the first event takes place, Sanchez expects he’ll be on it.
“I’m all open for (an event) with no fans,” Sanchez said. “It sucks. This is, of course, this is all about the fans and for the fans. I mean, I love to fight no matter what. A million people or no people, we’ve got to do what we got to do. Either way, these fights will be broadcasted for DAZN or all the live streams that they have for all the fans. I’m really looking forward to go out there and fight.”
+ 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?
