UFC on ESPN 10 features a card packed with up-and-coming talent looking to set themselves up for bigger tests later in the year.
Bantamweight contenders collide in the main event, as Ricky Bandejas takes on former UFC flyweight contender Sergio Pettis, while the co-main event features the Bellator debut of former UFC veteran Jordan Mein, who will face fellow welterweight contender Jason Jackson.
Bellator 242 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount and DAZN following prelims on YouTube and DAZN.
Let’s take a look at four burning questions heading into the event.
****
Which bantamweight contender will move one step closer to a title shot?
The Bellator bantamweight strap is up for grabs after Kyoji Horiguchi relinquished the title due to injury last year, and the winner of Friday’s main event is likely to punch their ticket for a shot at the unclaimed title later this year. The big question, of course, is which of Bellator 242’s headliners will move on to challenge for the gold?
Ricky Bandejas exploded to Bellator stardom when he knocked out James Gallagher in August 2018, but failed to capitalize on that momentum as he fell to back-to-back losses to Juan Archuleta and Patchy Mix. Since then, however, Bandejas (13-3 MMA, 3-2 BMMA) has found his form once again and registered a pair of knockout wins over Ahmet Kayretli and Frans Mlambo to put himself right back into the title picture.
Now he faces Bellator new boy Sergio Pettis (19-5 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who announced his arrival in the promotion’s bantamweight division with an eye-catching first-round submission of Alfred Khashakyan at Bellator 238 in January – his first finish since his pre-UFC days back in 2013. Following his impressive debut, the former UFC flyweight contender will now look to defeat Bandejas and position himself for a shot at championship gold.
But who will leave the Mohegan Sun one step closer to a title shot? Will it be New Jersey knockout artist Bandejas, or will Pettis claim back-to-back Bellator victories to push himself to the front of the queue?
Next up: A veteran turns debutant in his 44th pro fight
Can Jordan Mein kick off his Bellator career with a win?
On the occasion of his 44th professional fight, Canada’s Jordan Mein (31-12 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will walk to the cage in a pair of Bellator gloves for the very first time. The welterweight veteran has been away from the cage for two full years, but now he returns to action looking to kick off a new chapter of his career.
His first test comes in the form of the dangerous Jason Jackson (11-4 MMA, 2-1 BMMA), who rebounded from his split-decision debut loss to Ed Ruth with a unanimous decision victory over Kiichi Kunimoto. Now the Florida-based fighter will look to claim the scalp of Mein and push his own championship claims at 170 pounds.
Will Mein hit the ground running after two years away, or will Jackson ensure that the Canadian takes an L on his Bellator debut?
Next up: Featherweight prospects collide
Who has the edge in the battle of featherweight prospects?
Big things were expected of Tywan Claxton when he arrived in Bellator, and the featherweight has shown up well so far in his emerging career. The only blot in his copybook is his defeat to Emmanuel Sanchez in the Bellator featherweight grand prix, but he bounced back with victory over Braydon Akeo.
Now Claxton (6-1 MMA, 6-1 BMMA) will look to take the “0” from the undefeated record of Jay Jay Wilson (5-0 MMA, 4-0 BMMA), who had trouble on the scale during Thursday’s official weigh-in. After three attempts, “The Maori Kid” could only make 147.9 pounds as he officially missed weight for the matchup.
How will that affect his performance on fight night? Will Claxton be irked by his opponents weight miss? Can Wilson rebound from a tricky weigh-in day with a big performance on fight night? Finding out the answers to the above should be a fun experience as two of the best up-and-coming 145ers go head to head.
Next up: All eyes on Pico
What will the latest evolution of Aaron Pico look like?
While a host of Bellator fighters have been handed the “prospect” tag, few have had to build their careers under the glare of the MMA spotlight quite as notably as Aaron Pico, whose peaks and valleys during his MMA evolution have generated countless headlines.
Pico’s last outing saw him score a thumping second-round knockout of Daniel Carey as he bounced back to winning ways following stoppage losses to Henry Corrales and Adam Borics. Pico’s next assignment will see him take on Solo Hatley, Jr, who comes into the fight in solid form after winning his Bellator debut against Gaston Bolanos in February.
Hatley (8-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) has lost just once since his debut in 2017 – a run stretching back nine fights – and “The I.R.S. Man” is hoping to make Pico (5-3 MMA, 5-3 BMMA) pay on Friday night with a big performance in only his second Bellator appearance.
Can Pico start to build some momentum with another impressive display, or will Hatley score an upset victory and establish himself as a dangerous new threat in Bellator’s 145-pound division?
