Two-division champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire defends his 145-pound title against challenger AJ McKee in the headliner of Bellator 263 at The Forum in Inglewood, CA on Saturday, July 31. In addition, the pair squares off in the final of featherweight World Grand Prix with 1 million US dollars at stake.
Patricio Pitbull (32-4) is a reigning Bellator MMA featherweight and lightweight champion. Riding the seven-win streak, he is coming off the win by submission in the first round against Emmanuel Sanchez. Prior to that he KO’d Pedro Carvalhi in the first round and scored a unanimous decision against Juan Archuleta.
Undefeated AJ McKee (17-0) is ranked No.1 featherweight contender. Two of his previous bout he won by submission against Darrion Caldwell and Derek Campos in the first and third round, respectively. Before that he stopped Georgi Karakhanyan in the first round.
“This is without a doubt going to be the biggest Bellator fight of all time,” said Scott Coker, Bellator President. “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.”
Among other bouts featured on the Bellator 263 fight card, Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5) meets Mads Burnell (15-3) at featherweight, Magomed Magomedov (18-1) goes up against Raufeon Stots (16-1) at bantamweight, and Usman Nurmagomedov (12-0) squares off against Manny Muro (12-6) at lightweight. The current lineup can be found below.
MMA fans can watch Bellator 263: Pitbull vs McKee live on Showtime, starting at 10 pm ET / 7 pm PT. The undercard live stream is available on YouTube, beginning at 7 pm ET / 4 pm PT.
Bellator 263 fight card
Main Card
- Patricio Pitbull vs. AJ McKee – Pitbull featherweight title
Preliminary Card
- Emmanuel Sanchez vs. Mads Burnell
- Magomed Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots
- Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Manny Muro
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