Bellator 236 is the final event in a packed weekend of fights headlined by Bellator’s flyweight title and Cageside Press has its picks set.
| Staff Writers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jason Payne (180-101) |  |  |  |  |  |
| Joe McDonagh (173-100) | | |  | | |
| Ryan Fortune (137-80) | | | | | |
| Keith Shillan (135-83) | | | | | |
| Gabriel Gonzalez (167-114) | | | | | |
| Josh Evanoff (164-112) | | | | | |
| Dan Doherty (165-116) | | | | | |
| Jay Anderson (164-117) | | | | | |
| Mike McClory (116-88) | | | | | |
| Paarth Pande (116-89) | | | | | |
Ilima-Lei Macfarlane looks to defend her title once again against Kate Jackson. Macfarlane has been a dominant champion for Bellator since winning the vacant belt in 2016. The Hawaiian has stopped her opponents in all four of her title fights, and is 9-0 with the promotion. Jackson was a member of the 23rd season of The Ultimate Fighter, going 2-1 with a win over current UFC fighter Ashley Yoder, but falling to eventual winner Tatiana Suarez. She is currently 3-1 with Bellator. Macfarlane was unanimously picked.
The co-main event is part of the featherweight grand prix with AJ McKee taking on Derek Campos. McKee is undefeated and knocked out Georgi Karakhanyan in eight seconds in the first round of the bracket. Campos snapped a three-fight losing streak in the first round of the tournament, defeating Daniel Straus by unanimous decision. McKee was unanimously picked.
Jason Jackson squares off against Kiichi Kunimoto. Jackson won titles in both Titan FC and LFA but is coming off a loss to Ed Ruth in his return to Bellator. Kunimoto was 3-2 in the UFC before going 2-0 in RIZIN. He is also coming off a loss to Ruth. Cageside Press is split at five picks apiece.
Juliana Velasquez looks to earn a title shot against Bruna Ellen. Velasquez is 4-0 in Bellator’s flyweight division, stopping three of those opponents. Ellen is 3-2 in the promotion with a win over Veta Arteaga. Velasquez was unanimously picked.
Raufeon Stots makes his long-awaited jump to a big promotion against Cheyden Leialoha. Stots is 12-1 with his only loss coming to UFC fighter Merab Dvalishvili. Leialoha is 7-1 in his career with five stoppages and is making his promotional debut. Stots was unanimously picked.
