Henderson? Well, Smooth was coming in off ACL surgery, and looking to get back in the win column after a lightweight title fight loss to Michael Chandler. To date, his only victory in Bellator MMA had been to Patricky Pitbull’s younger brother, and that was due to a leg injury sustained by Patricio in a fight most had him winning.

It was a key battle for both fighters, crucial to their hopes of getting back in the title hunt. Henderson immediately took the center of the cage and pressed forward Saturday night, forcing Pitbull, who countered with a leg kick, back. Pitbull sidestepped the next volley by Smooth, then connected with a right hand. Henderson stumbled, but quickly got back to his feet. Pitbull landed a leg kick, while Benson Henderson put the pressure on with a superman punch. A spinning back kick by Patricky Pitbull missed, but just past the two minute mark, an eye poke off a Henderson kick caused Pitbull to need a moment. A right hook was countered with a left by Pitbull, and Bendo flashed a flying knee that he pulled up on, before the end of the round.

In the second, Benson Henderson shot low early, looking for a takedown. Pitbull fended that off, but moments later Bendo was right back at it, this time powering forward and forcing Pitbull back against the fence. He switched to a high single, but Pitbull displayed solid takedown defense. Henderson refused to let go, adding some foot stomps and switching grips. Patricky Pitbull pulled off a jumping knee, but still Henderson refused to release his grip. Pitbill snaked his arm around Henderson’s neck, but there was really no chance for a guillotine. Surprisingly, this went on for the better part of the round, with Henderson pressing Pitbull against the cage, but unable to finish the takedown. Then, at the very end of the round, it was Pitbull who got the bout to the ground, though it was too little, too late.

Round three saw Henderson miss a spinning back kick then land a body kick on Patricky Pitbull. Henderson would change levels to shoot for a takedown, but Pitbull escaped. Pitbull landed a hard leg kick, while both men traded and slipped some shots. A sloppy takedown attempt by Henderson saw Pitbull escape again, and moments later, the shoulder of Pitbull caught Henderson in the head, wobbling him, though he would continue. Henderson was then tagged off a kick, but connected himself with a left hand shortly after! Pitbull would later charge forward with a body kick, while Henderson tried once more for the takedown. As he pressed Pitbull against the fence, he added in an elbow from the bottom that caught Pitbull. The Brazilian added some elbows as he defended the takedown, and landed a right off the break. A knee for Pitbull landed, and Henderson was on his heels; Pitbull launched a flying knee but came up short.

Pitbull would mount the cage and celebrate after the action finished, and in the end take the split decision on the judge’s scorecards. After the victory, he called out lightweight champion Brent Primus, saying he “ate former champions for breakfast.”

Patricky Pitbull def. Benson Henderson by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Then, at weigh-ins Friday, Larkin and Daley wound up in a bit of a brawl (more of a shoving match, really) that got the MMA world talking. This was looking to be a fantastic fight with more than its share of bad blood motivating the fighters.

So how did things play out on Saturday?

Not surprisingly there was no glove touch to start. Daley opened things up with a number of kicks to the legs, as well as looking to land kicks to the body. Larkin would answer back, but after ninety seconds, neither man had done any significant damage. The kicks continued, while Daley looked to find range with his jab. A straight left by Larkin backed Daley up, but Daley covered up and escaped harm. A combo from a charging Larkin landed a minute later, and in an even round, those shots could have made all the difference. With just over a minute left another combo from Larkin saw shots land; Daley answered back, but this time slipped after attempting a head kick. Larkin moved into his guard, while Daley attempted a triangle. Larkin, out of danger, moved into side control, and would finish the round on top.

Larkin connected first with a body kick in the second round, then slipped under a Daley punch and tied his opponent up against the fence. Daley would eventually break free, and charge forward with some heavy bombs. Larkin escaped, while Daley surprised everyone by looking for a takedown of his own. That failed (perhaps for the best), and Larkin again tied him up against the fence. Larkin was then clipped by a spinning back elbow, which may have only grazed him, but the left hook that followed landed home! Larkin was wobbled, ate a couple more left hooks, and that was all she wrote! Paul Daley with the knockout, and sending a message that there’s no easy fight in Bellator.

After the bout, Daley called out Michael Page once again, and added “I’m not really a mixed martial artist, I’m just a guy who loves to fight, and when I fight people get knocked out, simple as that.”

Paul Daley def. Lorenz Larkin by knockout, Round 2, 2:40

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Nelson had gone 2-2 in his previous four fights, all under the UFC banner, before jumping to Bellator MMA. Ayala, meanwhile, had won two straight, and was 5-2 in the promotion overall.

There was a solid chance that someone was hitting the floor in this fight. Who was the question.

Ayala opened with a high kick that missed, and moved in with a hard shot as Nelson covered up. Nelson whiffed on the return. Javy then landed a leg kick that seemed to hurt Nelson. Nelson continued to cover up while looking to counter; Ayala showed a more varied arsenal. Nelson began working his jab, and landed to the body. He would duck under a number of punches from Ayala, and decide to change levels and look for a takedown just past the midway mark of the round. Nelson would secure that, and Ayala was stuck up against the fence in a bad spot. Nelson peppered him with shots and looked to create some space, but Ayala showed he could do some damage, landing an elbow from the bottom. Nelson would look for a kimura, and while Ayala would escape he gave up full mount. Looking for an Americana, Nelson allowed Ayala to escape; Ayala would land a big knee on the way up, and they’d finish out the round.

The second round saw Ayala open with a heavy leg kick, and he began bringing the fight to Nelson. Nelson answered with a shot to the body, and landed another takedown. Ayala’s counter guillotine failed, and he was again in a bad spot. Nelson began looking for openings to land some big shots from the top. Ayala opted to give up his back to attempt to get back to his feet, and Nelson took the back and got hooks in. Javy managed to reverse, and get back up then take Nelson’s back! A big push kick to the face landed by Ayala, stunning Nelson. Yet moments later, he had shaken off the cobwebs and scored a couple of uppercuts, then grabbed Ayala and landed another takedown! He finished the round on top, landing some heavy elbows. Great bout so far, both these guys came to fight.

Ayala with a kick and jump knee attempt to open the third, while Nelson caught Ayala with a back fist. Nelson went high with a kick to the arm, which Ayala answered with a combo that sent Nelson into retreat mode. A couple of punches exchanged, and Nelson then landed a single leg, dumping Ayala with apparent ease! That was huge, as there was three minutes left in the round. Ayala attempted to push off the cage, while Nelson looked for an Americana again. Ayala would nearly escape, but Big Country was able to recover and keep him on his back. With a minute remaining, Nelson pinned the arm of Ayala with his knee and began landing some heavy shots from above, finishing strong in what would wind up a rare unanimous decision victory for the veteran heavyweight.

Roy Nelson def. Javy Ayala by unanimous decision (30-26, 29-28, 29-28)

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That fight, contested at lightweight, was a rude welcome to professional mixed martial arts for Pico. Now, at Bellator 183, he opted to drop a weight class, making his featherweight debut against Justin Linn, who is moving up from bantamweight. With ten fights as a pro and a handful more as an amateur, “The Mortal Sinn” Linn had a decided advantage in experience. The question was, how would Pico bounce back from that devastating loss?

Linn was more than happy to play the role of heel in this one, walking out to the cage with a pair of middle fingers on display.

Off the opening bell and a touch of the gloves, Linn was quick to connect, but Aaron Pico was unphased by the punch, and moments later had Linn eating a number of body shots to the ribs while standing. Pico was looking much better in this, his second bout, and managed to back Linn up against the cage where he unloaded a flurry of strikes while Linn was forced to cover up. You could smell blood in the water, but Linn survived, and Pico, with the fight going to the ground, stayed strong on top and displayed his wrestling expertise. Heavy elbows followed, but Pico would eventually allow the fight back up. That set up a huge finish. Pico countered a Linn right hand with a huge left hook, knocking Justin Linn out cold.

With the win, Pico moved to 1-1 as a pro, on his twenty-first birthday no less, and silenced his critics.

Aaron Pico def. Justin Linn by knockout, Round 1, 3:45

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Yamauchi, meanwhile, had run up two straight wins in the promotion over Ryan Couture and Valeriu Mircea. With over twenty wins in his pro career and a long tenure in Bellator, Yamauchi was poised to potentially get into title contention with a win over Piccolotti — and vice versa.

Once the action was underway, both fighters showed some striking prowess, with Piccolotti flashing some kicks and combinations, while Yamauchi displayed a killer high kick. However, it was a Yamauchi pulling guard for a guillotine attempt that gave fans the first near finish in the fight. Piccolotti would hold on and escape, however, but Yamauchi had shown his submission skills early.

At the three minute mark, Goiti Yamauchi had Piccolotti against the fence, arms locked around his waist. He would control the back, landing some knees to the thigh, but was unable to wrestle his opponent to the canvas. Instead, he took the back completely, climbing up and sinking in a tight rear-naked choke! Dragging Piccolotti down, Yamauchi continued to squeeze, and there was no escape. Adam Piccolotti tapped for the first loss of his career, and Yamauchi had another submission win.

Goiti Yamauchi def. Adam Piccolotti by submission, Round 1, 3:19

For more Bellator 183 coverage, check our Bellator Events page throughout the evening!

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Opponent Kaytlin Neil was making her Bellator debut, and also looking for her first win as a pro. Despite the records, both fighters looked to be solid additions to Bellator’s women’s flyweight division.

How’d the fight play out? The pair exchanged a number of kicks early, with Mayo looking light on her feet and displaying good movement. Mayo would put together a trio of three straight body kicks early in the round, and both women continued with a kick-heavy attack. Clinching against the fence later in the round, a number of reversals showed how evenly matched the pair appeared to be. Mayo was able to finally take the fight down, and looked to take the back, but Neil was able to reverse and wind up on top. That led to Mayo working to isolate an arm, with an arm-bar possile. Neil, however, broke free, and they wound up in something akin to a north-south position with Mayo’s legs almost rolled up over her. From there they made it back to the feet, and finished standing. A close round in the end.

Mayo came out firing to start the second round, bringing the attack to Neil with combos and more heavy body kicks. Neil didn’t seem to have her range figured out, while Mayo was able to land a number of strikes cleanly. Mayo then pressed the action up against the cage and looked to score a takedown, but strong takedown defense from Kaytlin Neil kept things standing. Mayo then opted to take the back of her opponent, and finally hoisted Neil up off her feet to take her down. Neil in turn was able to turn inwards and wind up on top, similar to the first round. The fight would stay on the ground for the remainder of the round, with Neil staying on top.

Neil landed a combo early in the third round, and looked to be a little more aggressive, landing a head kick (that Mayo partially blocked) moments later. Mayo continued to initiate the clinch, and looked to take the fight down to the mat. Neil, for her part, showed some solid defense, but simply wasn’t able to get much offense off. In a clinch midway through the round, however, Neil was able to overpower Brooke Mayo and throw her to the mat, where she went to work from within Mayo’s guard. As she did earlier in the fight, Mayo stayed active off her back and had soon regained her feet; this led to an exchange where both women landed. Mayo then got her underhooks in and pushed Neil up against the fence, once again living up to her “Bully” nickname. Neil would land a couple of strikes as they broke, and both landed a handful of strikes as time ran out.

In the end, despite Mayo being more active off her back when the fight was down, the judges saw things in favor of Neil, two rounds to one. That dropped Mayo to 0-2 in the promotion, while Neil improved to 1-2 as a pro.

Kaytlin Neil def. Brooke Mayo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

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The card features the debut of Roy “Big Country” Nelson under the Bellator MMA banner, the return of wrestling phenom Aaron Pico, the undefeated Adam Piccolotti, and a grudge match between Paul Daley and Lorenz Larkin that saw a brawl break out at weigh-ins. Then, in the main event, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson meets Patricky Pitbull in hopes of getting back on track for another lightweight title shot.

	Goiti Yamauchi vs. Adam Piccolotti	Aaron Pico vs. Justin Linn	Javy Ayala vs. Roy Nelson	Paul Daley vs. Lorenz Larkin	Benson Henderson vs. Patricky Pitbull
Heath Harshman (60-32)
Gabriel Gonzalez (13-8)
Paarth Pande (52-34)
Harry Davies (54-38)
Dan Doherty (53-39)
Mike McClory (44-34)
Jay Anderson (50-42)
Eddie Law (46-46)

First up, the safe bets. Every single staff member sees the undefeated Adam Piccolotti scoring a win over submission specialist Goiti Yamauchi. In Aaron Pico’s return, after a shock defeat to Zach Freeman at Bellator NYC, all but one of our writers saw the wrestler get the nod over the lesser known Justin Linn.

“Big Country” himself, Roy Nelson, was also the favorite with all but one of our writers. Nelson is 2-2 over his last four fights coming into Bellator 183, and faces Javy Ayala, who shocked Sergei Kharitonov by knocking out the Pride and Strikeforce veteran in Kharitonov’s Bellator debut. Can lightning strike twice? Only one of us expects that.

Shockingly, no one picked Paul Daley in what has become a grudge match with Lorenz Larkin. After a heated exchange at the weigh-ins Friday that saw Larkin shove Daley then chaos ensue, you can expect fireworks in this fight. Just don’t expect anyone but Larkin to walk away victorious, according to our writers.

It’s the main event that has us divided, however. Benson Henderson is a former WEC and UFC lightweight champion. “Smooth” has not had a great run in Bellator, however, going 1-2 in three fights thus far. Both losses came in title fights, to Andre Koreshkov at welterweight and Michael Chandler at lightweight. The one win? A TKO due to injury against Patricio Pittbull in a fight most thought Henderson was losing.

However, with a newly repaired ACL, and facing Patricio Freire’s brother Patricky, five of our writers see Henderson returning to form. He’ll have to if he wants another (and likely final) shot at Bellator gold.The remainder? They expect Pitbull to avenge his brother’s loss. We spoke to Patricky Pitbull prior to the fight — see what he has to say here, and be sure to catch our breakdown of the main event!

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In a rare twist, this Saturday will be owned by Bellator while the more renowned Octagon will be in action on Friday night.  To take advantage, Bellator is putting on it’s most stacked event since their debut in Madison Square Garden with a night headlined by Benson “Smooth” Henderson against Patricky “Pitbull” Freire.

For Henderson, the fight is his first since challenging Michael Chandler for the lightweight title in November last year.  Since then, he has taken time to surgically repair a torn ACL that he has been competing with for some time.  He has promised a return to form on Saturday night, and it’s what his career desperately needs at this stage.

Since entering Bellator in 2016, he has gone only 1-2.  He’s dropped title fights to both Andrey Koreshkov and Chandler.  His lone victory was against the younger “Pitbull” brother, Patricio, and it didn’t come without controversy.  Many observers had Henderson losing the fight, however Freire called off the bout in the middle of the second round.  After the fight, it was found that Freire had suffered a broken shin in the first round and had continued fighting for several minutes before succumbing to the pain.

Considering that Henderson was once regarded as the top lightweight in the world, the run has been uninspiring to say the least.  In 2013, he was one victory away from breaking the record set by BJ Penn for consecutive title defenses in the UFC lightweight division.  Instead, he was stunned by Anthony Pettis and has struggled to regain consistent form since.  He went 2-2 in his following outings, virtually falling out of the rankings in a division as loaded as 155.  He left the UFC in free agency following a victory over Jorge Masvidal at welterweight, generating a lot of interest that he could become a two-division champion in Bellator.

Such talk has slowed and this next fight could well determine Henderson’s status going forward.  A victory reignites his title chances, likely awaiting the winner of the expected rematch between Brent Primus and Michael Chandler.  A loss would put him at 1-3 and likely write him off from returning to the elite level.

Patricky “Pitbull” Freire is looking to secure his own statement victory by beating the former UFC champion.  He has fought the best opposition that Bellator has had to offer, but lost in his most important bouts.  He has two losses to Chandler and one to Eddie Alvarez,  each in stunning fashion.  Recently, he bounced back from a first round KO loss to Chandler for the title by stopping veteran Josh Thompson in February.  He is 4-3 in the last three years, and his recent run has many considering him more of a journeyman despite his devastating skillset.

There is also the added factor of familial pride.  Although his brother had great success against Henderson, it was called a loss for the Freire’s as the younger “Pitbull” had to quit in the middle of the bout.  While Patricio has been vocal that he doesn’t need big brother fighting his battles, there will undoubtedly be a level of ego on the line when Patricky meets Henderson on Saturday night.

Stylistically, a healthy Henderson should have the tools to give Freire enough problems.  His explosive kicks, takedowns, and comfort in diversifying his skillset should allow him to keep the Bellator veteran on the defensive.  His biggest advantage will be on the mat and he should look to get the fight on the ground as early as possible.  To give him even more confidence in that area: “Pitbull” has been a professional since 2005 and only has two submission finishes in his MMA career.

Freire should look to replicate the strategy his younger brother had, pushing forward and not giving Henderson space for his kicks.  By putting Henderson against the fence, he also makes it difficult for the former UFC champion to shoot for a takedown.  The key from there will be to win the battle in the clinch as they work for under hooks, or picking Henderson apart with strikes on the fence.

The knockout power of “Pitbull” is obviously the x-factor, as he can change the complexion of any fight with a single shot.  For Henderson, there’s a point to prove that at 33 years old, he still has another noteworthy chapter to embark on his MMA career.  What makes this fight different?  This fight is likely to define the reputation of both men at this stage of their careers going forward.

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Cageside Press recently got some input from Joe Schilling regarding his current standing and feeling towards other fighters. Schilling was signed by Bellator Kickboxing in 2016, taking only a month off from his last last Glory bout. That’s after a number of MMA bouts under the Bellator banner from 2014 to 2015. He’s currently 2-1 under the kickboxing promotion, and easily the biggest name in the weight class. Which means he obviously wants the promotion to make some moves.

We know the current landscape of the Bellator middleweight division is bit sparse, is there any talent that you’d like to see Bellator sign? 

“There is but I’m not going to use my voice to promote other people, it doesn’t make any sense for me” he told us. “I hope Bellator signs some more middleweights and it makes more sense to give me a title shot. But it is what it is. There’s a lot of tough guys out there and hopefully Bellator will sign them.”

“I’ll tell any of those guys who want to get signed to make some moves and give people some reason to sign them” Schilling continued. “There’s a lot of these guys who are like f***ing nobodies, and they get like an interview and call me out online. It’s annoying. So yeah, there’s some fighters out there that I would like to fight again probably. I think I’ve fought the best middleweights in the world; mostly two or three times. If some of those guys want to get signed to the promotion, that would be great. But I don’t to promote other people. If nobody knows your name, I’m sure as f*** not going to say it for you.”

Schilling, whose last bout was a unanimous decision victory over Alexandru Negrea back in April, will be making his second trip to the ring this year against Najib Idali (28-6-1) this Saturday.

Do you think you’ll fight one more time this year? 

“I think I’m going to fight in December. So it should be one more fight this year hopefully.”

Bellator Kickboxing 7 also features Jorina Baars, and a Welterweight title fight between Raymand Daniels and Karim Ghajji. Bellator 183 will have a lightweight main event between Benson Henderson and Patricky Freire. 

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Roy Nelson makes his in cage debut against a game Javy Ayala in what will no doubt be a heavyweight slugfest. Lorenz Larkin is still looking for his first win inside the Bellator cage, and the hard-hitting Englishman Paul Daley will have something to say about that.

In the main event Benson Henderson will try to become the only man to ever hold victories over both ‘Pitbull’ brothers, as he takes on elder brother Patricky in a lightweight title eliminator.

Cageside Press caught up with Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire a few days before his main event at Bellator 183.

The last time we saw Pitbull in action he was delivering a perfectly placed uppercut to the chin of Josh Thomson. He will need to be on his A-game if he plans on finishing Henderson.

“My camp has been perfect,” said Pitbull. “Everything went according to plan, of course I’m always looking for something more. I always feel I should’ve done more work, but I am well prepared and I can’t wait to get in the cage.”

Even the elite sometimes question themselves, that’s one thing that makes them so special.

MMA is a strange sport, in that fighters seem to reach their primes at all different ages. At 31 years old, how does the elder Freire brother feel?

“I feel I’m just now in my prime” Pitbull said. “When I turned 30 (years old) I felt my skills and conditioning getting better, everything has been improving so much. Everything is closer to the peak, I will be prepared for my opponent.”

One opponent the Brazilian has a tough time putting in the past is Michael Chandler. “It’s personal to me, I want to overcome that loss,” Patricky said. “That war isn’t over, I want to beat him and in some ways, it doesn’t matter if he has the belt or he doesn’t have the belt.”

No one would be mad if those two warriors squared off again in the Bellator cage. But first comes Saturday night’s clash with Benson Henderson. What is Pitbull expecting?

“He (Henderson) is a great fighter, I’m very excited and nervous heading into this fight, I’m looking forward to it” said Freire. “I think it will be a great fight, I expect him to be ready for war.”

We also expect a war from these two men; both guys come to fight and both are entertaining fighters. You might want to get to the bathroom before the main event starts, because this one may very well end quick.

In fact, Pitbull has a piece of advice for the viewers, “don’t blink, my victory will be explosive!”

Well, we’re not going to argue with that.

Bellator 183 takes place Saturday September 23 live and free on Spike TV, with the main card kicking off at 8PM CST/9PM EST.

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