After the weigh-ins took place, everything is set as Bellator
MMA returns for both its first event of 2021 and on
Showtime.
Bellator 255 is headlined a featherweight title bout between
reigning champ Patricio
Freire and challenger Emmanuel
Sanchez. The winner will advance to the finals of the
promotion’s featherweight world grand prix tournament to face
A.J.
McKee. Both champion and challenger made weight, although the
rest of the card wasn’t as drama free as three fighters failed to
hit their contracted weights.
Since knocking out lightweight Michael
Chandler in just over a minute to become a double champion, “Pitbull” has impressed in the grand prix. Freire (31-4) beat up
Juan
Archuleta over five rounds in the opening round and then
knocked out Pedro
Carvalho in under half a round to make his way into the
semi-finals. The titleholder stepped on the scales at 144.1 pounds
ahead of what he hopes is his seventh successful title defense.
Looking to cause a major update and ruin the brackets of fans is
Sanchez (20-4). The American fell short against Freire previously
in 2018 and lost a five-round decision. However, he’s currently
riding a three-fight win streak that includes a submission of
Tywan
Claxton and a decision win over Daniel
Weichel. Sanchez weighed 144.5 pounds ahead of his second shot
at Bellator gold.
The Bellator 255 main card will air live on Showtime starting at 9
p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on Friday. Meanwhile, the preliminary card will
air live on YouTube starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT.
Bellator 255 Weigh-in Results:
Patricio
Freire (144.1) vs. Emmanuel
Sanchez (144.5)
Neiman
Gracie (170) vs. Jason
Jackson (170.9)
Tyrell
Fortune (251.2) vs. Jack May
(264.3)
Usman
Nurmagomedov (155.2) vs. Mike Hamel
(155)
Kana
Watanabe (124.8) vs. Alejandra
Lara (124.2)
C.J.
Hamilton (134.4) vs. Magomed
Magomedov (135)
Mukhamed
Berkhamov (173.8)* vs. Herman
Terrado (169.5)
Ricardo
Seixas (154.9) vs. Mandel
Nallo (154.9)
Fabio
Aguiar (187.7)** vs. Khalid
Murtazaliev (183.6)
Christopher
Gonzalez (159.2) vs. Roger
Huerta (159.4)
Jose
Augusto Azevedo Barros (203.2) vs. Jonathan
Wilson (204.2)
Roman
Faraldo (171.1)*** vs. Trevor
Gudde (170)
Jordan
Newman (185.1) vs. Branko
Busick (183.8)
*Berkhamov missed weight by 2.8 pounds and has been fined a
percentage of his purse.
**Aguiar missed weight by 1.7 pounds and has been fined a
percentage of his purse.
***Faraldo missed weight by .1 pounds and has been fined a
percentage of his purse.