בעללאַטאָר 263TAKES PLACE AT THE FORUM IN LOS ANGELES ON SATURDAY, יולי 31 – לעבן אויף שאָוטיים®
TICKETS FOR THIS MASSIVE EVENT GO ON SALE TOMORROW ATBELLATOR.COM
לאס אנדזשעלעס— And then there were two…
What began with 16 featherweight athletes vying for a one-million-dollar grand prize and the BELLATOR Featherweight World Championship has been narrowed to the greatest BELLATOR athlete in the history of the promotionפּאַטריסיאָ פּיטבולל (32-4) and the company’s best-ever homegrown fighter in No. 1 ראַנגקטAJ McKee (17-0).
The culmination of the BELLATOR Featherweight World Grand Prix takes place Saturday, יולי 31 בייַ די פאָרום אין ינגלעוואָאָד, קאַליף., and marks the company’s first domestic event hosted away from “The Fightsphere” since February 2020.
בעללאַטאָר 263: פּיטבולל ווס. מאַקיairs live on SHOWTIME at 10 פּ.ם. עט / 7 פּ.ם. PT and tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, יוני 18 at BELLATOR.com and Ticketmaster.com with a pre-sale taking place on Thursday.
“This is without a doubt going to be the biggest BELLATOR fight of all time,” said BELLATOR President Scott Coker. “AJ McKee has been calling for a shot at Pitbull’s title since his very first professional victory inside our cage six years ago. Now he’s finally getting the opportunity to realize his dream of becoming a world champion against the winningest fighter in BELLATOR history. For Pitbull a win over McKee in this tournament final would be a statement piece to add to his long list of accolades and legacy as the best 145-pounder on the planet.”
One half of the vaunted Pitbull Brothers duo, Patricio has long been considered the crown jewel of BELLATOR MMA, where he sits atop the pound-for-pound rankings. Holding a remarkable record of 32-4 with wins over elite competition including the likes ofפּאַט קורראַן, Juan Archuleta, דניאל וועיטשעל (x2) and most recently a second triumph over Emmanuel Sanchez, the 33-year-old stands alone as the featherweight king. אַדדיטיאָנאַללי, he was able to capture the Lightweight World Championship in a 2019 contest opposite Michael Chandler, becoming only the second BELLATOR athlete to hold two titles simultaneously. מיט 23 finishes in 36 פאַכמאַן פיגהץ, Pitbull has shown time and time again that he possesses the well-rounded skillset required to reign over multiple weight classes.
With a perfect record of 17-0, AJ McKee has exceeded the lofty expectations placed on him since his professional debut at the ripe age of 20-years-old. With an even six knockouts and six submissions, the now-26-year-old McKee has shown a knack for securing finishes—and fast—with nine coming in the first round. “Mercenary” has earned dominant victories over every man who has opposed him including former champions Pat Curran, געאָרגי קאַראַכאַניאַן, and Darrion Caldwell, who McKee submitted most-recently with a rare, modified neck crank that was later dubbed the “McKee-otine.” Finally, the Long Beach native will face the man he has called for since signing with BELLATOR, as he takes on Patricio Pitbull in the much-anticipated Featherweight World Grand Prix Final.
The preliminary portion of the event streams live at 7 פּ.ם. עט / 4 פּ.ם. PT on the BELLATOR MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel, as well as Pluto TV and features former featherweight title challenger and No. 2 ראַנגקטעממאַנועל סאַנטשעז(20-5) versus Denmark’s No. 8 ראַנגקטMads Burnell(15-3), a bantamweight tilt between No. 3 ראַנגקטMagomed “Tiger” Magomedov(18-1) און ניט קיין. 4 Raufeon “Supa” Stots(16-1) and a lightweight affair pitting undefeatedUsman Nurmagomedov (12-0) קעגןManny Muro(12-6).