Patricio Freire def. Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast: Best photos

Check out these photos from Patricio Freire’s featherweight title defense against Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s featherweight title victory over Jeremy Kennedy in the co-main event of Bellator Champions Series: Belfast. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA)

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast results: Patricio Freire swarms Jeremy Kennedy, calls for UFC, PFL title fights

Patricio Freire wants UFC and PFL title opportunities after stopping Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] is back in a big way and wants to claim gold across multiple promotions after scoring another defense of his Bellator featherweight title.

In the co-feature at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast, Freire (36-7 MMA, 24-6 BMMA) shared the cage with title challenger Jeremy Kennedy (19-4 MMA, 4-2 BMMA). Although there was a slight scare for the champ, Fereire overcame the moment to finish Kennedy (19-4 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) in the same round. The stoppage came by strikes at 4:07 of Round 3.

The fight started slowly, and with five rounds to work, there wasn’t much need to rush.

Freire began working behind a steady, patient gameplan of intermittent leg kicks and counter strikes. Kennedy studied, and worked behind a left jab, but the strikes were few and far between in the opening round.

The slow pace rolled over into Round 2, however, causing a few boo birds to chirp throughout the crowd. Kennedy began to turn up the forward pressure, but soon found himself eating a big right hand from Freire. Swelling on Kennedy’s left leg became apparent, with Frerie continuing to land hard leg kicks.

In the third round, everything changed as both fighters had big moments.

Kennedy sat down on a punch, sending Freire to stumble backward. Kennedy rushed in to follow up, but Freire quickly gathered himself and kept his defense solid. However, a cut was opened on “Pitbull” from a nice elbow during the sequence.

After weathering the storm, Freire reset and began marching forward.

Just when Kennedy’s confidence was mounting, “Pitbull” clipped him with a clean punch, rocking the challenger. Freire noticed his opponent was hurt and quickly swarmed with strikes. Kennedy covered up against the cage, as Freire unloaded until the referee stopped the fight.

During his post-fight interview, Freire called for a title fight he missed out on against Jesus Pinedo at PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, and even called for a cross-promotional UFC title fight. After shooting for the moon, he did offer one name in particular, Aaron Pico, who is likely the next man up in Bellator.

The result marked a return to the win column for Freire, who suffered back-to-back losses in a Bellator bantamweight title bid against Sergio Pettis and a short-notice appearance against Chihiro Suzuki at Bellator x Rizin 2.

In addition to being back in the winner’s circle, Freire adds to his all-time Bellator records for most wins (23), most finishes (14) and most title fight wins (13).

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Up-to-the-minute BCS: Belfast results include:

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event page for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast faceoff video: Patricio Freire, Jeremy Kennedy emotionless

Watch as Patricio Freire and Jeremy Kennedy stare each other down ahead of their Bellator Champions Series: Belfast co-main event.

It appears to be all business between Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and challenger [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] heading into their title clash.

Ahead of Saturday’s Bellator Champions Series: Belfast co-main event, Freire (35-7) and Kennedy (19-3) came face to face for the final time before their five-round bout.

Neither fighter displayed any interpretable emotion as they stared each other down. “Pitbull” clutched his gold title throughout. The height difference, which is listed as five inches, was noticeable – not that Freire is unfamiliar with such a discrepancy.

Check out the BCS: Belfast co-main event faceoff in the video above.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Video: Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial weigh-ins, faceoffs live stream

Watch a live stream of the Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial fighter weigh-ins on Thursday.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast ceremonial fighter weigh-ins take place Thursday, and you can catch a live video stream of the proceedings here on MMA Junkie at 2 p.m. ET (11 a.m. PT).

The weigh-ins take place in Belfast Northern Ireland, where Bellator Champions Series: Belfast takes place Friday at SSE Arena. The main card streams on Max after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Two title fights are on the docket as in the main event, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6) and [autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] (12-2) meet for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title. In the co-main event, featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-7) will look to notch his second title defense against [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (19-3).

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Bellator Champions Series: Belfast weigh-in results: Title fights official, one fighter heavy

Check out the results from the official Bellator Champions Series: Belfast fighter weigh-ins in Northern Ireland.

The official weigh-ins for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast are in the books, and all but one fighter hit their marks.

In the main event, [autotag]Corey Anderson[/autotag] (17-6) and [autotag]Karl Moore[/autotag] (12-2) will battle for the vacant Bellator light heavyweight title. Both fighters weighed in at 204.6 pounds.

In the co-headliner, featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (34-7) defends his title against [autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] (19-3). They each hit 145 pounds on the dot.

[autotag]Vikas Singh Ruhil[/autotag] (12-7) was the lone fighter who missed weight. Ruhil fights against [autotag]Nathan Kelly[/autotag] (9-2) at featherweight, but he weighed in at 147 pounds and will be fined a percentage of his purse. Kelly was on proper weight at 146.

The weigh-ins took place at the Bellator host hotel. The SSE Arena in Belfast, hosts Friday’s event, which has a main card on Max following prelims on MMA Junkie.

The full Bellator Champions Series: Belfast weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Max 3 p.m. ET)

  • Corey Anderson (204.6) vs. Karl Moore (204.6) – for vacant light heavyweight title
  • Champ Patricio Freire (145) vs. Jeremy Kennedy (145) – for featherweight title
  • Fabian Edwards (185.6) vs. Aaron Jeffery (185.2)
  • James Gallagher (145.4) vs. Leandro Higo (145.1)
  • Manoel Sousa (155.6) vs. Tim Wilde (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 12 p.m. ET)

  • Ciaran Clarke (135.5) vs. Darius Mafi (135.3)
  • Nathan Kelly (146) vs. Vikas Singh Ruhil (147)*
  • Abraham Bably (257.4) vs. Isaiah Pinson (242)
  • Grant Neal (205.4) vs. Luke Trainer (203.8)
  • Alfie Davis (155.6) vs. Oscar Ownsworth (155)
  • Jordan Elliott (129.5) vs. Nate Kelly (129.1) – 130-pound contract weight

*Singh Ruhil missed the featherweight limit and will be fined a percentage of his purse.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Jeremy Kennedy: ‘I’m a lot more physical at featherweight’ than Bellator champ Patricio Freire

Jeremy Kennedy expects to have a strength advantage over Bellator champ Patricio Freire.

[autotag]Jeremy Kennedy[/autotag] expects to have a strength advantage over Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag].

Kennedy (19-3) challenges Freire (34-7) in Friday’s Bellator Champions Series: Belfast co-headliner at SSE Arena in Northern Ireland.

Freire finds himself on a two-fight losing skid for the first time in his career. But with both losses not coming at featherweight, Kennedy admits it’s tough to gauge which version of Freire he’ll get.

“I’m training like I’m fighting the best ‘Pitbull,'” Kennedy told MMA Junkie Radio. “I have to. That’s the way I approach every fight. It’s hard because there is a lot of little speculation around those losses. He hasn’t lost at 145. So he’s still, in my eyes, that undisputed, that multitime champion. (At) 145, who’s beat him at 145?”

One of Freire’s losses came in a bantamweight title fight against Sergio Pettis this past June – his divisional debut. He was then knocked out less than a month later by Chihiro Suzuki in a 154-pound catchweight bout that he accepted on very short notice.

While Kennedy doesn’t put too much stock into Freire’s skid, he can’t help but think his recent cut to 135 pounds will play a factor.

“The biggest thing that sticks out to me was that cut to ’35,” Kennedy said. “Not the age, not the wear and tear, just the frame, the size. The fact that he could even make that weight, I just know I’m a bigger human than him. I just know I’m a lot more physical at featherweight than he is because I couldn’t even dream about making 140.

“So, the fact that he could, and did, and not even that long ago, like within a year, I don’t think he’s going to be able to put on the muscle properly to even compare with me physically. That’s the biggest one I’m taking away, is I just think he’s going to be too small. But again, he has fought his whole life as a pretty undersized featherweight. He’s a little undersized, and I plan on showing that just by being too physical and too dominant everywhere.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator Champions Series: Belfast.

Fueled by doubters, Bellator champ Patricio Freire hopes to reschedule bout vs. PFL champ Jesus Pinedo

Patricio Freire hopes to get another opportunity to face Jesus Pinedo in a PFL vs. Bellator champ-champ fight.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] isn’t looking past his opponent at Bellator Champions Series: Belfast, but he hopes to get another opportunity to fight for the PFL vs. Bellator Champions belt soon.

Freire (35-7) was scheduled to face PFL’s season winner Jesus Pinedo at PFL vs. Bellator in February, but like a few other matchups, the fight fell apart in the final days before the event. Freire was given a replacement opponent in Gabriel Braga, but that fight also fell through.

Aside from an opportunity to return to the win column and snap a two-fight skid, Freire really wanted to get his hands on the specially created belt awarded to the winner of the champion vs. champion bouts.

“I really like the idea of the champ vs. champ fight,” Freire told MMA Junkie through an interpreter. “I really enjoy the belt that they designed with the ring attached to it. You can use the ring anywhere or on the belt. So, I really would like a chance to fight for the belt again. I’ve already fought the Rizin champion Kleber (Koike), and I beat him. Now, I have the chance to fight the PFL champion and add that belt and that ring to my collection. So that’s something I would really like to do, if possible, in the future.”

Before that can become a possibility, Freire has to get past Jeremy Kennedy at BCS: Belfast on March 22 in Northern Ireland. Kennedy (19-3) received the call rather than Aaron Pico to fight for “Pitbull’s” Bellator featherweight title. Both men were angling for a title shot, but for Freire, it didn’t matter which fighter would share the cage with him as he had kept his eye on both.

“(Kennedy) was a guy that was already on my radar,” Freire said. “Pico had just fought in Saudi Arabia. They had a fight, but they wouldn’t have time for a rematch to see who would fight me. So Bellator offered me this opportunity so I took it. This is a guy that I was seeing for a long time for a possible opponent for my belt.”

With Freire’s recent back-to-back losses, fans have begun wondering if the best version of “Pitbull” is gone. The 36-year-old has much to prove against Kennedy, but welcomes all of the negative energy because it gives him fuel to succeed and prove those doubters wrong.

“We’ll never be able to please everyone, and there will always be some hate,” Freire said. “In fact, those are the guys that keep us motivated. So, if they want to keep doubting me, please continue doing that.”

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC, PFL, Bellator fights announced in the past week (Feb. 26-March 3)

Check out the UFC, PFL and Bellator fights that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC, PFL, and Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Feb. 26-March 3.

Gabriel Braga withdraws from PFL vs. Bellator: Champions fight vs. Patricio Freire at last minute

In the end, it wasn’t meant for Patricio Freire to compete at the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event.

In the end, it wasn’t meant for [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] to compete at the inaugural PFL vs. Bellator: Champions event.

A week after Freire’s original opponent, Jesus Pinedo, withdrew from the fight, replacement [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] withdrew after not weighing in Friday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. No reason was given for Braga pulling out, with the PFL only announcing that he was “unable to compete.”

Freire did step on the scale at official weigh-ins and made weight for the featherweight bout.

Braga (23-8-1), who was a PFL finalist last season, had been scheduled to compete only five weeks after the death of his coach and father, Diego Braga. According to reports, Diego Braga was killed by organized crime in Rio de Janeiro.

Freire (35-7) was looking to put a bad stretch behind him with this return. In 2023, he went 0-2 before getting sidelined due to injury. The Brazilian lost to Sergio Pettis in June in an attempt to capture the Bellator bantamweight title and become the first fighter to win titles in three weight classes, and was knocked out by Chihiro Suzuki in a big upset at a Rizin event in Japan.

PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, which streams Saturday on ESPN+ and pay-per-view, will proceed with 11 bouts.

Below is the complete lineup:

MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 3 p.m. ET)

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee

PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, noon ET)

  • Henry Corrales vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.

PFL vs. Bellator fight card shuffle impacts Patricio Freire, Aaron Pico matchups

Five days out from PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, the fight card is once again facing some changes – this time, a semi-mix-and-match.

Five days out from PFL vs. Bellator: Champions, the card has been slightly edited.

Bellator stars [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] and [autotag]Aaron Pico[/autotag] are looking at new matchups – a domino effect that stemmed from the withdrawal of Jesus Pinedo.

Pinedo was initially scheduled to face Freire (35-7) in a champion vs. champion matchup. Filling that void will now be [autotag]Gabriel Braga[/autotag] (12-1), who was initially scheduled vs. Pico (12-4).

The promotion now targets Pico for a rematch against 2019 foe [autotag]Henry Corrales[/autotag], a seasoned, gritty veteran, who is one of the longest-tenured fighters under the Bellator banner. Corrales (21-7) won their first meeting with an onslaught-halting knockout punch.

Four people with knowledge of the changes recently informed MMA Junkie of the promotion’s plans. It’s unclear at this time if bout agreements have been signed by all parties, as some fighters are still in transit to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the site of Saturday’s event. Ag. Fight first reported Freire vs. Braga.

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“Pitbull” Freire looks to bounce back from the first two-fight losing skid of his career. In June, he attempted to win Bellator gold in a third weight class but was unsuccessful at bantamweight against Sergio Pettis. In an impromptu move, Freire took on days notice a fight under the RIZIN banner in July. He was upset by Chihiro Suzuki in Round 1.

Braga, who knows Freire well, competes just weeks after the death of his father, who served as his MMA mentor. Braga was the runner-up in the 2023 PFL featherweight post-season. His loss to Jesus Pinedo in the divisional championship was the first of his career.

Pico has long-served as one of the faces of Bellator, particularly as an example of the promotion’s homegrown-talent-building. Under the spotlight since before his professional debut, Pico has encountered ups and downs inside the Bellator cage. However, he appears to have hit his stride in recent fights, with wins over James Gonzalez and Pedro Carvalho.

Corrales looks to bounce back from an October unanimous decision loss to Kai Kamaka III. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak. Corrales has been with Bellator since 2015 and has a 9-7 promotional record.

With the changes, the projected PFL vs. Bellator: Champions lineup includes:

  • Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
  • Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
  • Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
  • Gabriel Braga vs. Patricio Freire
  • Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
  • Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
  • Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee
  • Henry Corrales vs. Aaron Pico
  • Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
  • Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey De Santis
  • Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL vs. Bellator: Champions.