Predictions! Bellator Belfast Full Main Card Preview, Picks

Bellator MMA is officially back to kick off the re-branded “Champions Series” tomorrow afternoon (Fri., March 22, 2024) inside SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, streaming live on Max. Headlining the event will be a vacant Light Heavyweight title fight as Corey Anderson gets battles Karl Moore, while Featherweight champion, Patricio Pitbull, puts his 145-pound belt on the line against Jeremy Kennedy in the co-headlining act.

In further action, Fabian Edwards will begin his hunt to another Middleweight championship fight when he battles Aaron Jeffery, while James Gallagher battles Leandro Higo in a pivotal Featherweight bout.

Corey Anderson vs. Karl Moore

Anderson came up short in his previous three attempts to win the 205-pound title, and know he is hoping that the third time will be the charm. The only man that got in “Overtime’s” way of winning Bellator gold was Vadim Nemkov, nut now that the Russian grappler has moved up to Heavyweight, it’s one less obstacle for Anderson to worry about. But his path to gold isn’t exactly easy as he will be taking on a man who has yet to face defeat under the Bellator banner. Indeed, Moore is 4-0 with the promotion. Of his 12 wins, he does have seven finishes, five via submission and two by way of knockouts. Anderson has a much better finish history. with eight of them coming by way of strikes with no submissions. So this is truly a clash of styles because Anderson will try to keep this on the feet, while Moore will be looking to making it into a jiu-jitsu match if he gets the chance. But as hot as Moore is, it is Anderson’s time to shine and I don’t see him coming up a short a third time in title fights.

Prediction: Anderson via second round TKO

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PFL

Champion Patricio Pitbull vs. Jeremy Kennedy

Pitbull was left high and dry by two different opponents at the Bellator vs PFL “Champion vs. Champion” event a few weeks ago, and now the Brazilian bomber will finally be able to get his first taste of action in 2024. Pitbull currently finds himself as the owner of a rare two-fight losing streak, losing to Sergio Pettis at Bellator 297 in a Bantamweight title fight, before losing to Chihiro Suzuki via devastating knockout in a last-minute fight (see it again here). He has a chance to bounce back in a big way by earning his second title defense after winning the belt back from A.J. McKee in April 2022. As for Kennedy, he is on a three-fight win streak and is 4-1 overall under the Bellator banner. The former PFL veteran holds wins over Pedro Carvalho and Aaron Pico, and is 4-1 overall under the Bellator banner. Pitbull has to boucne back here because if he loses his third straight while coughing up his belt, in the process, the chatter around the water cooler will be his future status and whether or not his best days are behind him. I don not believe they are, and he will prove it by retaining his belt in a hard-fought battle.

Prediction: Pitbull via unanimous decision

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PFL

Fabian Edwards vs. Aaron Jeffery

Fabian Edwards came up short in his first-ever major world title fight, losing to current Middleweight champion Johnny Eblen via knockout in the third round of their bout at Bellator 299 (relieve it here). Now, the brawling Brit is back on the road to redemption against Aaron Jeffery, who is 3-1 with the promotion. Jeffery bounced back nicely following his loss to John Salter by taking out Dalton Rosta. The well-traveled veteran has a nice opportunity to throw his name in the championship hate by defeating Edwards, though hit will be a tall task because his foe will be coming in hungry and motivated. That’s not to say Jeffery won’t be, but Edwards has a bit more well-rounded arsenal that will lead him back to the winner’s circle.

Prediction: Edwards via unanimous decision

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PFL

Tim Wilde vs. Manoel Sousa

Wilde stumbled out of the Bellator gates, losing to former champion Brent Primus in his promotional debut. Since then, however, he has gone 5-0-1, and is slowly, buy surely climbing the 155-pound ladder. He will welcome undefeated contender, Manoel Sousa, to the big leagues. He did win his fight on the PFL Challenger Series 2023, the only fight of his that has seen the judges scorecards. Prior to that he finished all nine of his opponents, six via strikes while submitting three of his foes. The 26-year old Brazilian is an exciting prospect with a big opportunity to make an impression right way. Unfortunately for “Manumito,” he will be a bit over his head here, as Wilde will prove to be too, experience, too well-round and ultimately too much.

Prediction: Wilde via unanimous decision

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PFL

James Gallagher vs. Leandro Higo

James Gallagher was expected to be a big star for Bellator, but the brash Irishman has failed to live up to lofty expectations. After he was knocked out by Ricky Bandejas in memorable fashion (see it here), he did bounce back to win four in a row, He then ran into current Bantamweight champion, Patchy Mix, who choked him out in round three at Bellator 270. He did get back to the winner;’s circle by defeating Justin Gonzalez via razor-thin split-decision, but the fact remains “Strabanimal” simply hasn’t been able to garner the spotlight like many expected. That said, he has proven to have the skills to get the job done, and has a chance to add to his momentum when he faces longtime veteran, Leandro Higo. “Pitbull” is 4-1 in his last five fights with the promotion with his lone defeat coming against Danny Sabatello in the quarterfinals of the Bantamweight Grand Prix. This fight is a great matchup between two jiu-jitsu that have 22 submission wins between them (Higo 13, Gallagher 9). So what does that mean? This fight could very well be an all-out striking battle. I give the edge to Gallagher there since Higo can get a bit overzealous at times. I don’t expect a finish by either man here, so it will come down to who can push the pace a bit more and sway the judges.

Prediction: Gallagher via unanimous decision

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