Bellator 241 Betting Odds, Preview, and Prediction

Bellator 241 heads to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Friday, March 13, 2020.

With many of the sporting events in the United States suspended due to the Coronavirus, MMA isn’t one of them and like UFC Fight Night 170 which will push through on Saturday night, Bellator 241 will take place behind closed doors. In the main event, “champ-champ” Patricio Freire defends his 145-pound title against Pedro Carvalho in the quarterfinals of the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix.

Let’s take a look at that and a couple of key fights for Bellator 241:

Patricio Freire vs Pedro Carvalho

Patricio Freire is the current Bellator Lightweight and Featherweight champion. The Pitbull is the second fighter in Bellator history to hold two world titles simultaneously. He owns several records in the promotion including most wins in a Bellator title fight with 8. Freire stands 5-6 tall with a reach of 65.5 inches but he makes up for his physical disabilities with speed, power, and cardio. Pitbull is 30-4 with 10 knockouts and 11 wins by submission. This will be his third title defense in his second reign as Bellator Featherweight World Champion.

Pedro Carvalho is a Portuguese mixed martial artist who fights out of SBG Ireland. The 24-year old has a record of 11-3 with two knockouts and six wins by submission. He is 5-11 tall and is 4-0 inside the Bellator cage. Carvalho has won his last six bouts and likes to fight using both stances although his southpaw stance may be better. He is a teammate of Conor McGregor and is most dangerous with his step-back left-hand counter. Carvalho has a slick submission game and he is fond of using the guillotine choke to finish his opponents.

This one isn’t even close and the oddsmakers agree as the champion is a 10-1 favorite. Freire is small for a featherweight at 5-6 but even if his opponents are taller and rangier, he hits harder and faster. If you stand in front of him, he knocks you out. If you take him down, he’s still a beast on the ground. If you try to tire him, he has the cardio to beat you. Carvalho has won six straight bouts but let’s face it, he’s not even in the Top 10 and Freire picked him because the champ wants to silence Carvalho’s mouth. And he will.

Prediction: Patricio Freire

Daniel Weichel vs Emmanuel Sanchez

Daniel Weichel fought for M-1 Global and Shooto before signing with Bellator in 2013. He won the Bellator Season 10 Featherweight Tournament where he beat Desmond Green. This German fighter has challenged Patricio Freire twice for the world title but has lost on both occasions. He defeated Saul Rogers in the opening round of the current Bellator Featherweight tournament. He is 40-11 with five knockouts and 22 wins by submission. Weichel is 5-10 with a reach of 71 inches.

Emmanuel Sanchez is a veteran of the Resurrection Fighting Alliance who joined Bellator is 2014. He also challenged Patricio Freire for the Bellator Featherweight title at Bellator 209 but lost by decision. Sanchez has won back to back fights since that loss and his overall record is 19-4 with one knockout and eight submission victories. El Matador stands 5-9 tall and has a reach of 76 inches.

This is a rematch of a fight from Bellator 159 which Weichel took by split decision and which Sanchez has vowed to avenge. Weichel is a plodding striker who waits too much to throw his big punches. He is a dangerous grappler with 22 wins via tap out but has abandoned that part of his game and has preferred to strike. Sanchez is a volume puncher who overwhelms his opponents with pressure. He also has a gas tank to sustain this kind of attack throughout the fight. El Matador is also a BJJ black belt whose weakness is his defensive wrestling. I think Weichel can’t keep with Sanchez’s pace here.

Prediction: Emmanuel Sanchez

Paul Daley vs Sabah Homasi

Paul Daley is a former Cage Rage welterweight champion and a veteran mixed martial artist who has fought in most of the top MMA promotions all over the world. This 37-year-old from Nottingham, England is a former Muay Thai world champion and stands 5-9 tall with a reach of 76 inches and is an orthodox fighter. Daley has a record of 42-17 with 31 knockouts and two wins by submission.

Sabah Homasi is a UFC, Titan FC, and Strikeforce veteran. The 31-year old American had a 0-3 stint inside the octagon and joined Bellator last year, scoring a 17-second knockout of Micah Terrill at Bellator 225 last August. Homasi is 13-8 with nine wins by knockout and two by submission. He stands 6-0 tall with a reach of 71 inches and is an orthodox fighter from the American Top Team.

After losing to Michael Page at Bellator 216, Paul Daley has returned to form in his last two fights. But with nearly a combined 100 fights in MMA and kickboxing, the question with Semtex is how much is left in the gas tank as he nears 40-years old. But while that is an issue, it appears that Homasi is the perfect opponent for Daley to look good. Homasi is thin for a middleweight and only has a 72-inch reach. Daley may be shorter but is muscular and rangier by four inches. I think these two will stand and brawl and Daley’s longer reach is going to give him the stoppage win.

Prediction: Paul Daley

Matt Mitrione vs Ronny Markes

Matt Mitrione is a former NFL player and UFC fighter who owns wins over Derrick Lewis, Gabriel Gonzaga, Kimbo Slice, and even Fedor Emelianenko. Meathead has struggled in his last three fights. After losing to Ryan Bader in the Heavyweight tournament, his fight against Sergei Kharitonov was declared a no-contest after he landed an accidental groin strike. They held a rematch but Mitrione forgot his mouthpiece and suffered a 2nd round TKO loss. He stands 6-3 tall with a reach of 79 inches and is a southpaw. Meathead has a record of 13-7 with 11 knockouts.

Ronny Markes is a former King of the Cage Super Heavyweight champion. The 31-year old Brazilian is a former UFC veteran who last fought at PFL and will be making his Bellator debut in this fight. Markes has won half of his last six bouts and two of his losses during that period were by stoppage. He has a record of 19-7 with seven knockouts and five wins by submission. He stands 6-1 tall with a reach of 75 inches.

Matt Mitrione took this fight on short notice after Josh Barnett pulled out with an undisclosed medical issue. However, I don’t think that won’t be much of an issue because this is a heavyweight fight and Meathead doesn’t need to cut weight. However, Mitrione’s age may be a factor as Markes is 10 years younger and much hungrier than his opponent. Markes though has lost six out of his last 11 bouts and has been stopped five times during that period. His willingness to brawl could cost him against a brawler like Mitrione. I expect him to try and take Mitrione down but Meathead will stuff the attempts and win a brawl.

Prediction: Matt Mitrione

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