Patricio Freire will defend his Bellator MMA 145-pound championship against Emmanuel Sanchez in the semifinals of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix when they lock horns in the Bellator 255 main event on Friday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The two men met once previously, as Freire walked away from their Bellator 209 encounter with a five-round unanimous decision two-plus years ago.
Bellator 255 “Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2”—which airs live on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT—also features a welterweight co-headliner matching Neiman Gracie with Jason Jackson, a heavyweight rematch pitting Tyrell Fortune against Jack May, a lightweight showcase pairing Usman Nurmagomedov with Mike Hamel and a women’s flyweight clash slotting Kana Watanabe opposite Alejandra Lara.