Bellator 255: Patricio Freire chokes out Emmanuel Sanchez to set up showdown with A.J. McKee

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – Another title defense is in the books, and Patricio Freire will be moving to the Bellator featherweight grand prix final against rival A.J. McKee.

On Friday, Freire (32-4 MMA, 20-4 BMMA) defeated Emmanuel Sanchez (20-5 MMA, 12-4 BMMA) by technical submission with a guillotine choke at the 3:35 mark of the first round.

The featherweight fight headlined Bellator 255 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card aired on Showtime. The entire event also streamed on MMA Junkie.

The bout was a rematch of a November 2018 meeting at Bellator 209, where Freire won a unanimous decision over Sanchez. Bellator president Scott Coker has since called the bout one of his all-time favorites.

The first round started out slow, but quickly escalated into a “Pitbull” victory. When Sanchez threw a kick, Friere knocked him off balance with a counterpunch. Sanchez hit the canvas and attempted to scramble to his feet. Freire grabbed hold of Sanchez’s neck and pulled for a guillotine. They  crashed to the ground.

With Sanchez in a sitting position, Freire continued to squeeze. Moments later, Freire signaled to the referee Sanchez was unconscious. The referee checked Sanchez’s arm, which flopped to the canvas, and the fight was stopped.

With the victory, Freire extended his winning streak to seven. Freire has now defended his title six times during his second promotional stint as champion. Freire, the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter in Bellator’s new official rankings, defeated Juan Archuleta and Pedro Carvalho to gain entry into the tournament semifinal.

As for Sanchez, the defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak. Prior to Bellator 255, he hadn’t lost since the first defeat to “Pitbull.” Friday’s fight was the first time Sanchez has been finished in his Bellator career. In order to advance to the tournament semifinal, Sanchez defeated Tywan Claxton and Daniel Weichel.

Official Bellator 255 results include:

• Champ Patricio Freire def. Emmanuel Sanchez via technical submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:35 – for featherweight title; featherweight grand prix semifinal
• Jason Jackson def. Neiman Gracie via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Tyrell Fortune def. Jack May via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:16
• Usman Nurmagomedov def. Mike Hamel via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Kana Watanabe def. Alejandra Lara via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
• Magomed Magomedov def. Cee Jay Hamilton via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:22
• Mandel Nallo def. Ricardo Seixas Filho via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 3:23
• Khalid Murtazaliev def. Fabio Aguiar via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Chris Gonzalez def. Roger Huerta via submission (strikes) – Round 3, 3:01
• Jose Augusto def. Jonathan Wilson via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:58
• Roman Faraldo def. Trevor Gudde via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:30
• Jordan Newman def. Branko Busick via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 2:30