Bellator 252: Tale of the tape for the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix
The Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix makes its long-awaited resumption with two mouth-watering quarter-final clashes - Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire against Pedro Carvalho and Daniel Weichel vs Emmanuel Sanchez. Watch live on Sky Sports Mix from 12am
Thursday 12 November 2020 16:50, UK
Bellator returns to the 'Fightsphere' in the early hours of Friday morning with the return of the Featherweight Grand Prix as Pedro Carvalho tries to make history by beating current featherweight champion Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire.
Carvalho is looking to become the first Portuguese MMA world champion, but standing in his way is a Bellator veteran and two-division champion in Pitbull Freire. Not only is Pitbull's featherweight title at stake, but a place in the semi-finals of the grand prix.
In the other quarter-final, Germany's Daniel Weichel takes on Emmanuel Sanchez in a scintillating rematch. Weichel picked up a split-decision win in their first meeting in 2016, but it was a contest that could have gone either way.
We take a look at the stats and facts ahead of the main event, as well as the rest of the card...
Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire (30-4) vs Pedro Carvalho (11-3)
- Pitbull is the current Bellator featherweight and lightweight world champion. The Brazilian beat Michael Chandler in just over a minute last year to win the lightweight belt.
- Second Bellator fighter to hold world titles in two divisions at the same time - the first was Ryan Bader.
- Currently on five-fight win streak and has 21 wins by KO or submission.
- With a victory, Pitbull would stand alone at the top for most wins (19) overtaking Chandler.
- Freire will be competing in his 23rd Bellator bout, tied with Chandler and David Rickels for the most appearances in company history.
- Pitbull's is currently tied in fourth position with seven knockout victories in Bellator behind his brother Patricky Freire, Douglas Lima and Michael Page.
- Carvalho is fighting out of Dublin, Ireland by way of Guimarães, Portugal
- He currently trains with SGB Ireland with Conor McGregor's head coach John Kavanagh.
- Carvalho is undefeated with SBG. He began training with them in January of 2017, after more than a year off from fighting, with a 5-3 record. He's gone 6-0 since then.
- Eight of Carvalho's 11 career victories have been by stoppage.
Daniel Weichel (40-11) vs Emmanuel Sanchez (19-4)
- Fighting out of Frankfurt, Germany, Weichel is a 51-fight veteran.
- Pitbull is the only man to beat Weichel at 145 lbs, all his other defeats were at different weight classes.
- Weichel won the Bellator featherweight tournament back in 2014, beating Desmond Green in Canada.
- Has 22 wins by submission with 21 wins coming in the first round (three KOs, 18 subs).
- Sanchez holds notable wins over Daniel Straus, Henry Corrales, Georgi Karakhanyan, Sam Sicilia and Tywan Claxton.
- Has won six of last his seven fights with three of previous four wins coming via submission.
- Sanchez has never been finished via KO or submission in his MMA career.
Yaroslav Amosov (24-0) vs Logan Storley (11-0)
- Fighting out of Irpin, Ukraine, Amosov is undefeated in MMA. He holds notable wins over Ed Ruth, David Rickels, Erick Silva and Gerald Harris.
- Amosov has 19 wins by KO or submission with 13 wins coming in the first round (six KOs, seven Subs).
- Storley made his pro MMA debut in 2015.
- With a victory, Storley would be tied at fifth for longest win streak, with seven-straight wins.
Bellator 252 is live at midnight on Thursday night on Sky Sports Mix with Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire vs Pedro Carvalho and Daniel Weichel vs Emmanuel Sanchez.
