Bellator declared to ESPN its forthcoming tentpole event, which is set to occur May 11 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The card includes lots of exciting matchups, and I’ll list them below along with my first thoughts in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Michael Chandler vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator 221
The main event of Bellator 221 will be a five-round superfight between Bellator lightweight winner Michael Chandler and Bellator featherweight champion Patricio”Pitbull” Freire. Chandler’s belt will be up for grabs in this one as Pitbull is going up in weight for a fight that will ascertain arguably the best fighter in Bellator history. Chandler (19-4) is 16-4 in Bellator and just won back the lightweight title from Brent Primus in his final fight. He has won seven of the last eight fights complete and having a win here over Pitbull would solidify himself as the promotion’s greatest home-grown talent ever. Pitbull (28-4) is also 16-4 in Bellator and is coming off of back-to-back featherweight title defenses over Emmanuel Sanchez and Daniel Wiechel. What a great battle between two amazing fights. Chandler will likely be preferred here as he’s the larger fighter, but Pitbull is a stud and shouldn’t be counted out. Based on the internet, Pitbull could be well worth a look for a dog.
Pat Curran vs. AJ McKee, Bellator 221
Former Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran will return to the cage once he takes on rising star AJ McKee. Curran (23-7) is 13-4 overall in Bellator and is one of the top fighters to ever fight for the advertising. He’s really riding a three-fight win series at this time, though he hasn’t fought as an October 2017 decision win over John Teixeira. McKee (13-0) made his Bellator and pro MMA introduction in October 2015 and has not looked back because as he’s undefeated and contains buzzsawed through each opponent that Bellator has put his way. Curran is a good gatekeeper at this point of his career, but McKee is a real stud and I fully expect him to win this battle. There’s no doubt the undefeated rising star is going to be a huge favorite here.
Douglas Lima vs. winner of Paul Daley/Michael Page, Bellator 221
The semifinals of the Bellator Welterweight Grand Prix will take place with this card comprising Douglas Lima contrary to the winner of this weekend’s Paul Daley vs. Michael Page battle. There’s not much to say about this however as he do not understand the matchup, however, Lima vs. both of those guys makes for an wonderful fight.
Jake Hager vs. TBA, Bellator 221
And finally, Jake Hager will return to the cage for his second MMA battle against a yet-to-be-named opponent. Hager (1-0) submitted JW Kiser in his Bellator and MMA debut. He looks like a very intriguing heavyweight potential considering his size and strength, though I would expect Bellator to give him another”can” because of his next fight as they continue to slow-build him. I don’t have any doubt Bellator is going to be able to discover a different Kiser clone and pay them a couple thousand dollars to get completed by Hager.
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