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 Patricio Freire takes on Dublin-based Portuguese contender Pedro Carvalho 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 Emmanuel Sanchez and Daniel Weichel 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?
Which Bellator veteran – Emmanuel Sanchez or Daniel Weichel – will advance to the semis?
The first quarterfinal match of the night will see two of the most seasoned campaigners in the tournament go head to head, as America’s Emmanuel Sanchez and Germany’s Daniel Weichel do battle for the right to fight for the title – and a place in the final – later this summer.
Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) has lost just twice since the end of 2015 – once to the current champion Freire, and once to the man he faces on Friday night. But his split-decision loss to Weichel (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) came way back in 2016 at Bellator 159, and “El Matador” has looked superb since then as he picked up four straight victories before taking current champ Freire the distance in a losing effort at Bellator 209 back in November 2018. Most recently, Sanchez showed his veteran savvy and big-stage temperament as he defeated then-unbeaten prospect Tywan Claxton in the opening round of the tournament.
Now he goes from a raw talent to a 51-fight veteran in the form of Weichel, who ended a two-fight skid by edging out Brit Saul Rogers on the scorecards in the opening round of the tournament. The German has also gone the distance with Freire, and narrowly lost out via split decision at Bellator 203.
The duo’s recent tussles with the champion show just how close they are to potential championship glory, but only one of them will get the opportunity to fight for the gold next time around. There’s a title shot and a place in the semifinals at stake, and its winner takes all.
But who will prevail in the battle of the Bellator veterans?
Will Paul Daley add to his highlight reel?
They say you can’t take anything for granted in sports, but when Paul Daley steps inside an MMA cage, it’s just about as close as you’ll get to a guarantee that you’re going to see something spectacular.
The heavy-handed Brit has been throwing leather and knocking people out for the best part of two decades, and the Nottingham native is showing no signs of easing up as he looks to add to his growing list of knockout victims on Friday night.
Daley (42-17-2 MMA, 8-4 BMMA) will take on fellow former UFC fighter Sabah Homasi (13-8 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who will be looking to claim the biggest scalp of his career as he makes the second appearance of his second stint with the promotion.
Six of Homasi’s last eight wins have come via knockout, and he marked his Bellator return with a 17-second starching of Micah Terrill at Bellator 225 in August 2019. If he looks to repeat the feat against Daley… oh boy.
We know how Daley will approach Friday’s fight, and if Homasi responds in kind, we could well see the most explosive fight of the night. But considering there’s a man nicknamed “Semtex” involved, that probably shouldn’t come as a surprise.
Can Homasi pull off the shock, or will Daley produce another highlight-reel moment?
Will Anatoly Tokov pass his ‘final audition’?
If you’re looking for a fighter who has the ability and form to break from the middleweight pack and mount a serious challenge to the established order at the top of the Bellator middleweight division, look no further than Anatoly Tokov (29-2 MMA, 5-0 BMMA).
The Russian powerhouse looks like a title challenger in-waiting and has produced a string of impressive performances since joining the Bellator middleweight division in 2018. Five wins, including four finishes and a decision victory over former middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko have marked him out as a serious threat to the division’s best.
Friday’s fight at Bellator 241 could be considered a final audition for Tokov before the Bellator brass hand him a really big fight against one of the division’s top names, but first, he must deal with the challenge of newcomer Fabio Aguiar (17-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). The Brazilian will make his Bellator debut on Friday riding the crest of a wave, with the 32-year-old middleweight currently on a nine-fight win streak that stretches back to 2015. Now, after a year away from the cage, he gets his shot on the big stage and will look to spring a surprise against the highly-rated Russian.
Will Tokov deliver a performance worthy of a title contender, or can Aguiar arrive in Bellator with a bang?
Can Matt Mitrione bounce back?
When Josh Barnett was scratched from his fight with Rony Markes, Bellator officials found a willing name to jump straight into the fray, with Matt Mitrione agreeing to step in on short notice to face the Brazilian in a crucial heavyweight bout for both men.
Former UFC and PFL heavyweight Markes (19-7 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will be looking to make a big first impression on his Bellator debut as he attempts to establish himself as a new contender in the promotion’s heaviest weight class. But he’ll face a man who is desperate to get back into the win column.
Despite arriving in Bellator and reeling off a quartet of wins, Mitrione (13-7 MMA, 4-2 BMMA) has since suffered losses to current champion Ryan Bader and Russian veteran Sergey Kharitonov as his momentum hit the buffers during the last 18 months.
Now Mitrione has stepped in to face Markes, and will be looking to blast his way back into the title discussion with an impressive victory on short notice in Uncasville.
Can Mitrione bounce back into the win column, or will Markes kick off his Bellator career with a big-name victory?
