Patrick the Pitbull Still Bellator’s best.
The reigning featherweight champion scripted his eighth successful title defense and the first of his third run with the belt with a reverse decision win. Adam Borix In the main event Bellator 286 Pitbull won by scores of 48-47, 49-46 and 50-45 by all three judges on Saturday in Long Beach, Calif.
Pitbull (34-5) was too skilled and too experienced for the younger Borix (18-2), who failed to muster much offense before a late rally in Round 5. Outside of that, Pitbull won most of the striking exchanges. Mix in takedowns to neutralize Borix with accurate and powerful punches.
The dominant win didn’t please everyone in the crowd at the Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, so Pitbull used the first part of his post-fight interview to rant.
“Why are you scolding me?” Pitbull asked. “I’m the f****** champion. I’m a f****** goat. F*** you, everyone.”
Pitbull was asked who he would fight next, and the former 155-pound champion suggested. A recently discussed move to bantamweight Makes sense with a top featherweight contender Aaron Biko Suffers a tragic loss the night before After injuring his shoulder.
“I was thinking about Aaron Bigo but he dislocated his shoulder and I don’t know what’s going to happen now,” Pitbull said. “Maybe I’ll move up to the bantamweight division and take that belt as well.”
The taller Borix struggled to get his striking across throughout the fight, countering the Hungarian’s signature flying knee strike on several occasions with pitbull counter punches or well-timed takedowns.
When Borix didn’t go for a break, Pitbull was content to pick him apart from a distance and pin him down. It was a sharp, methodical performance from the Brazilian great, who was rarely in danger during the five-round contest. Pitbull won his second straight and eighth in his last nine contests.
In the co-main event, AJ McGee (19-1) made a successful lightweight debut against a wild and scrappy Spike Carlyle (14-4), getting a unanimous decision (29-26, 30-26, 30-27). The tone of the match was set in the opening seconds as Carlyle came out of his corner with a flying kick and began to wing the Haymakers.
Carlyle continued the attack as he attacked McGee from inside his guard, but McGee showed better grappling and worked to start the attack from his back and finish the round on Carlyle’s back.
There were more hot strikes throughout the fight, but McGee’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu proved to be the difference as he kept Carlyle on the mat and attacked him with ground attacks and submissions from multiple positions. A bloodied Carlyle showed extraordinary toughness, but McGee did more than enough to take the win on the scorecards in the end.
After the fight, McGee was asked if he was still interested in returning to the 145-pound division, and he replied that he would only move back for a title fight. Otherwise, he plans to participate in the recently announced event Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix It will be held in 2023. McGee previously won a Bellator featherweight bout that captured the championship belt and a $1 million prize.
On the main card, Jeremy Kennedy (18-3, 1 NC) picked up a big upset win over Aaron Bigo (10-4), though not in the way he wanted. During an opening flurry, Pico shoulder dislocationAnd although his group is seemingly Snaps it back into place Between rounds, the referee and ringside doctor agreed that Pico’s injury was too severe for him to continue.
Former Bellator bantamweight champion John Archuleta (26-4) ended a two-fight skid with a unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) to open the show. Enrique Barzola (18-7-2). “The Spaniard” came out firing in Round 1, knocking Barzola out during the 15-minute fight.
Archuleta almost hit a grounded opponent with an illegal head kick in the first round (Barzola deflected it with his arm), and Archuleta succeeded in throwing sharp elbows as he went for a takedown against the fence. However, Archuleta continued to find success and took downs just in time to secure the victory.
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