With half of the first-round matches already contested in the Bellator featherweight grand prix tournament, all eyes now turn to The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., as Bellator 228 plays host to the remaining four first-round matchups.
There’s an England vs. Germany clash as Saul Rogers takes on two-time title challenger Daniel Weichel, while former bantamweight champion Darrion Caldwell jumps up a weight class looking to make his mark against Henry Corrales.
Undefeated contender A.J. McKee is bidding to run the table and maintain his perfect record, starting with victory over the always-dangerous Georgi Karakhanyan. And the final bout of the opening round sees defending Bellator dual champion Patricio Freire kick off his tournament campaign – and put his title on the line – against surging two-division contender Juan Archuleta.
It’s a stellar lineup that will fill the four remaining quarterfinal berths ahead of the K-1-style draw for the final eight of the tournament. Ahead of their respective first-round matchups, the eight men set for action each explained just how big the tournament is in the latest episode of Bellator’s “Countdown” series.
You can watch in the video above.
Bellator 226 tournament bout results:
- Derek Campos def. Daniel Straus via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25)
- Adam Borics def. Pat Curran via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:59
- Pedro Carvalho def. Sam Sicilia via submission (neck crank) – Round 2, 1:56
- Emmanuel Sanchez def. Tywan Claxton via submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:11
Bellator 228 tournament matchups:
- Champ Patricio Freire vs. Juan Archuleta – for featherweight title
- A.J. McKee vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
- Darrion Caldwell vs. Henry Corrales
- Daniel Weichel vs. Saul Rogers
