He made the most of it, snapping a two-fight skid with a unanimous decision win over German veteran Daniel Weichel.

To the crowd in the 3Arena in Dublin goes the credit.

“This was the most beautiful and special night of my career, undoubtedly. I’m always critical but thinking about the overall [experience], it was exactly like I expected,” the featherweight told media outlets in attendance and around the world following the fight. Carvalho had his entrance, with the Portuguese and Irish flags draped over his back, set in his mind. “The crowd was exactly like I thought. It truly helped me. I cannot lie, part of my win tonight was because of the crowd. They backed me up, gave me strength, energy, pushed for me, and I was like ‘okay I have to push not only for me, for the win, but for these people.’ A special night in my career.”

While satisfied with the result, Carvalho wasn’t entirely happy with his overall performance on Friday. “I’m kind of in limbo. I’m happy that I won, but I still can’t stop thinking about my performance, because I want it to be clean,” he stated. “But at the same time, I think to myself ‘don’t be so harsh on yourself.'”

Watch the full Bellator 270 post-fight press scrum with Pedro Carvalho above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

The post Pedro Carvalho Credits Dublin Crowd For Victory at Bellator 270 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Going down at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland on Friday, the event saw Patricky Pitbull become the first man to stop Peter Queally, claiming the vacant 155lb belt in the process.

The title had been held, and held up, for over two years by Patricky’s brother Patricio, the former Bellator featherweight champion who claimed a second title by defeating Michael Chandler in 2019. Following the win, Patricio Pitbull would enter the featherweight grand prix, never defending his second belt.

In the co-main event, Patchy Mix submitted local hero James Gallagher, with the only flaw in his showing having been a miss at the scales on Thursday.

Full results and a gallery of highlights from Bellator 270 can be found below.

Bellator 270: Queally vs. Pitbull 2 Results

Main Card

Patricky Pitbull def. Peter Queally by TKO, Round 2, 1:05 – for the vacant Bellator lightweight championship
Patchy Mix def. James Gallagher by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 0:39
Pedro Carvalho def. Daniel Weichel by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ilias Bulaid def. Georges Sasu by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Ciaran Clarke def. Jordan Barton by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:11
Daniele Scatizzi def. Brian Hooi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lee Chadwick def. Arunas Andriuskevicus by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Gökhan Saricam def. Charlie Milner by KO, Roun 1, 0:15
Nicolò Solli def. Bobby Pallett by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Danni Neilan def. Audrey Kerouche by TKO, Round 3, 3:58
Yusuf Nazokatov def. Stephen Costello by submission (heel hook), Round 2, 2:24

The post Bellator 270: Queally vs. Pitbull 2 Photo Highlights appeared first on Cageside Press.

“This is the first time I really grappled in the cage, so I’m happy,” he told media outlets in attendance and online, speaking backstage at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The Dutch fighter won a split decision over Georges Sasu to open up the Bellator 270 main card.

“I’m getting more comfortable grappling. I’ve been investing a lot of time grappling in the gym, especially this last 18 months,” Bulaid (3-0) explained. “So I’m getting used to it more and more. I jumped from one of the best kickboxers, into professional MMA. So no amateur fights, and straight into Bellator. This is my third fight, third win. So I’m happy with that, but still there’s a lot of progress to gain.”

The former Enfusion world champion kickboxer added that while he was happy with his performance “I’ll be back in two or three months and improve again. I want to be there next month I think. So that’s what I’m going ask for.”

“I want to get some experience and then I’m going to f*ck all these top 15 fighters,” he added.

The only drawback from Friday’s performance was potentially a wonky scorecard from one dissenting judge. There were a few of those throughout the night in Dublin, though the outcome wasn’t impacted in Bulaid’s case.

“Yeah. I didn’t pay close attention to that but I heard one of the judges gave 29-28 to my opponent, and I was sure I won the first two rounds,” Bulaid told Cageside Press. “The third round because of the control time, he had it. But interesting scorecards, but still I didn’t have any doubt that I won this fight.”

Watch the full Bellator 270 post-fight press scrum with Ilias Bulaid above. More coverage from the event can be found below.

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Yes, they sang along to Zombie by The Cranberries, Queally’s walkout track, drowning out the music and continuing right on as the fight itself kicked off. But in the end, it was Brazil’s Pitbull (24-10) playing spoiler in Dublin, becoming the first person to finish Ireland’s Queally.

Despite the fan support, Queally couldn’t rally after being knocked down early in the second. Pitbull, with the TKO finish, claimed the lightweight title his brother had vacated just a month ago.

“I feel happy. I just enjoy the fight, enjoy every minute. Enjoy the fans singing Zombie. I like that song too. So I enjoy it,” an elated Pitbull said following the fight, speaking to media outlets in Dublin, and around the world via Zoom.

“It’s good energy for me too. Nice people, nice place, it’s great fans. It’s a little similar like Brazil,” said Pitbull about Ireland. Aside from Brazil being geographically bigger, anyway. “It’s awesome, I love it.”

Conor McGregor was quick to jump to his countryman’s defense, saying that with their career series tied, Queally and Pitbull should run it back. “When’s the rematch?” he asked in an audio clip posted to social media.

https://twitter.com/TheNotoriousMMA/status/1456761395312218121

Pitbull sidestepped the question, more or less, in responding to McGregor.

“Conor McGregor? I want to drink in your pub. Let’s go!” replied Pitbull. “I want to try your whiskey. I want to know if it’s good. I stay here for four days, let’s go McGregor. I want to enjoy your pub.”

After the win, Pitbull declared himself Bellator’s Knockout King. He’s tied for the lead in the promotion with the most knockouts, alongside Michael Page and Douglas Lima, at nine.

“Where’s the crown?” Pitbull joked. “The belt’s here, where’s the crown?”

As to what message he had for critics of his title shot, given he was coming off two losses prior to Bellator 270, “I’m ready for everyone,” Pitbull stated. “I’ll stay here for 10 years, or more. I don’t know. I don’t care about nobody. I just train very hard to [keep] the belt.”

Watch the full Bellator 270 post-fight press conference with Patricky Pitbull above. More coverage of the event can be found below.

The post Bellator 270: Patricky Pitbull Responds to Title Win, Conor McGregor Call for Queally Rubber Match appeared first on Cageside Press.

That said, the lightweight title was on the line when Pitbull met Ireland’s own Peter Queally in Dublin atop the Bellator 270 card. And Pitbull fought like there was nothing else on his mind come Friday.

The duo had met earlier this year, with a cut on Pitbull resulting in a doctor’s stoppage. The Brazilian would be looking for a different outcome on at Bellator 270, of course. Queally? He believed he’d been winning the first fight, and felt five rounds would favor him.

It never made it that far.

With Queally walking out to Zombie by The Cranberries, the singing didn’t stop even as the fight got underway. Pitbull took some big swings early, but wisely targeted the body as well. Zombie had switched to chants of “ole, ole, ole” — and Queally seemed to settle in, working his jab and low kick, covering up when Pitbull attacked. Queally then landed a sharp leg kick that spun Pitbull around; the crowd, meanwhile, was singing Zombie once again. Wild.

Pitbull fired off a combo, lefts and rights punctuated with a knee, with about two minutes left in the round. Queally again relied on his guard, covering up. The story of round one, however, was the body shots of Patricky Pitbull, an attack he went back to several times.

.@PeterQueally slipping the shots of @PatrickyPitbull! But both men are firing away.

We are LIVE on @SHOSports with #Bellator270👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/EOLfrMTyGV

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 5, 2021

The second started with an eye poke in the opening seconds, Pitbull the victim. With a bit of recovery time, he was able to continue, and the round continued. Queally worked his jab, and both men threw leg kicks. But moments later, Pitbull rocked Queally with a right hand, sending him flailing! The Brazilian went on the hunt, rocking Queally several more times. Queally wound up down along the fence, but somehow managed to get back to his feet. However, with Queally doing nothing but cover up, the ref soon waved it off!

Your new Bellator MMA lightweight champion: Patricky Pitbull.

Official Result: Patricky Pitbull def. Peter Queally by TKO, Round 2, 1:05

The post Bellator 270 Results: Patricky Pitbull Becomes First to Stop Peter Queally, Wins Lightweight Title appeared first on Cageside Press.

Mix has been there, done that, having contested for the vacant Bellator bantamweight title against Juan Archuleta last year. Mix came up short, and while he got back in the win column earlier this year, he missed weight for Friday’s fight.

Gallagher, like Mix, had won all but a single fight through his professional MMA career. His competition had been a frequent focus of criticism, however. Too many fighters with pedestrian records and little name value were the most common complaints. Yet for the past year, Gallagher had been training under the watchful eye of James Krause; Friday would likely show whether the move to the U.S. paid off for “The StrabAnimal.”

Gallagher grabbed a leg early, and nearly had a takedown — only to find himself caught in a guillotine. That left the Irish fighter with a choice, either finish, or fight the choke first. He fought the choke, still carrying Mix’s weight. Breaking free, Gallagher then finished the takedown. But moments later, it was Mix getting back up and putting Gallagher on his back. Gallagher would try for his own guillotine, but wasn’t in position.

That left Mix in half-mount, with a lot of time to work. When he tried to move to side control, however, Gallagher instead got Mix back into his guard, then shrimped back to the fence. Gallagher came close to escaping up, but had to be wary of exposing his neck. A second attempt at escape paid off; Gallagher then missed a big swing off the break. Gallagher finished the round by landing a double-leg, but gave up position as the bell rang.

Round two opened with some low kicks by Gallagher, but one strayed, leading to a break for Mix to recover from the groin kick. After getting underway again, Gallagher landed a punch over the top that caught Mix, who ate it well. That right hand would be there again, though Mix would block it on the next attempt.

On a Mix takedown attempt, Gallagher jumped guard, and had the guillotine in tight. Mix had to re-position, then broke free, with nearly three full minutes to work from the top. Mix landed shots to the ribs with Gallagher trapped against the fence. The pair were actually jawing during this sequence, which saw Mix pass to side control and almost get to mount, only for Gallagher to slide out from under him, nearly escaping.

A close moment for @StrabanimalMMA but @TeamMixMMA pops out of the choke.

We are LIVE on @SHOSports with #Bellator270👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/ZPHoB65juc

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 5, 2021

Any progress by Mix was halted by the bell, but Gallagher’s choice to jump into the guillotine may have given the round to Patchy Mix. Making the third key — with a finish being needed by Gallagher a possibility.

In the third, it was Mix jumping into a guillotine early. He began rolling over onto Gallagher while holding the submission — and forced the tap, silencing the Irish crowd.

The only issue with Mix’s win — he’d missed weight for the fight. Leaving questions about a possible move to featherweight. Though to hear Patchy Mix speak afterward, it doesn’t appear 145lbs is in the cards just yet.

Official Result: Patchy Mix def. James Gallagher by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 0:39

The post Bellator 270 Results: Patchy Mix Submits James Gallagher, Silences Irish Crowd appeared first on Cageside Press.

That bout saw German veteran Daniel Weichel take on Portugal’s Pedro Carvalho, who, fighting out of SBG Ireland, had the crowd firmly in his corner.

Come Friday, Weichel got active early, firing almost immediately off the bell. Carvalho took a moment to compose himself then answered back, mixing in some kicks. But before a minute had ticked away, Weichel had taken the back, getting the fight to the ground. He quickly had two hooks in, with nearly four minutes to work.

Weichel’s advantage on the ground was clear, but he opted instead to move back to his feet, looking to improve position. That allowed Carvalho to escape; they’d re-engage at center, but Weichel would have the edge there too, countering the Portuguese fighter, hurting him and getting in control on the ground. Carvalho managed to reverse, and found enough space to land forearms and shoulder strikes.

In the second, Carvalho caught Weichel early, but Weichel answered with a knockdown. He then went after his opponent on the ground, working on an arm-bar for a bit before Carvalho got to his feet. Weichel took him back down, but couldn’t keep him there. After a bit of back-and-forth, Weichel would change levels, trying for a body lock. He couldn’t complete the takedown and instead would be reversed along the fence. In the final minute, Carvalho began landing, finding significant success with his left hand. Weichel was backpedaling, and for good reason.

Quite the comeback late in the second by Pedro Carvalho. In the third, Weichel, knowing the momentum had shifted, stole it back with an early takedown. Carvalho would soon reverse, leaving Weichel on his back with the minutes ticking away — in what could very well be an even fight after two. Weichel would escape out with just under two minutes remaining. Carvalho went to the body with a kick; a tiring Weichel dropped levels for a takedown but couldn’t finish it. Instead, they’d go the distance, trading high kicks and spinning attacks in an exciting final minute.

Both @DanielWeichel and @The_Game_MMA going all out!

We are LIVE on @SHOSports with #Bellator270👇https://t.co/TbKTQ7lKsu pic.twitter.com/HMSm2yxCdo

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 5, 2021

Taking a unanimous decision on the scorecards, Pedro Carvalho got back in the win column — and snapped his two-fight skid.

Official Result: Pedro Carvalho def. Daniel Weichel by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Bellator 270 Results: Pedro Carvalho Snaps Skid, Bests Daniel Weichel appeared first on Cageside Press.

That title shot arrives Friday at Bellator 270, where despite coming off a loss, Patricky Pitbull will face Peter Queally. The belt will be on the line in a rematch of the pair’s first fight earlier this year, which saw Pitbull on the losing end care of a doctor’s stoppage.

There’s no gold on the line in the evening’s co-main event. That said, it feels like James Gallagher is facing his first real test, getting a step up against former title challenger Patchy Mix. The stage is set for Gallagher to steal the show at home, especially after Mix missed weight on Friday.

Full results from the Dublin, Ireland-based event can be found below. A live stream of the preliminary card action can be found above; the Bellator 270 live stream (main card) is below, where available. The action gets underway just prior to 2PM ET.

Bellator 270: Queally vs. Pitbull 2 Results

Main Card

Patricky Pitbull def. Peter Queally by TKO, Round 2, 1:05 – for the vacant Bellator lightweight championship
Patchy Mix def. James Gallagher by submission (guillotine choke), Round 3, 0:39
Pedro Carvalho def. Daniel Weichel by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ilias Bulaid def. Georges Sasu by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Ciaran Clarke def. Jordan Barton by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 3, 4:11
Daniele Scatizzi def. Brian Hooi by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Lee Chadwick def. Arunas Andriuskevicus by split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
Gökhan Saricam def. Charlie Milner by KO, Roun 1, 0:15
Nicolò Solli def. Bobby Pallett by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Danni Neilan def. Audrey Kerouche by TKO, Round 3, 3:58
Yusuf Nazokatov def. Stephen Costello by submission (heel hook), Round 2, 2:24

The post Bellator 270: Queally vs. Pitbull 2 Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Both he and opponent Pedro Carvalho took part in that tournament, with Weichel eliminated in the quarterfinal round on the same card that saw Carvalho fall to Patricio Freire.

Ahead of their showdown this Friday, Weichel told Cageside Press during Wednesday’s media day that “I think it’s a perfect match-up to me. I feel confident in every part of the game, and I feel I’m better in every part of the game than Pedro, and I’ll show that Friday night.”

Weichel bounced back in his last outing, against Hawaiian Keoni Diggs, earning a split decision to shake off his grand prix loss to Emmanuel Sanchez. “Keoni was a very tough opponent, very strong, physically strong, good jiu-jitsu, good striking. So it was very important for me to win this one, and especially to dominate him,” Weichel said, looking back at the June contest. “That also built more confidence in my striking, and I’m looking forward to implementing more of my wrestling and jiu-jitsu in the next one.”

He’ll be implementing it in hostile territory in Ireland. Carvalho isn’t Irish — rather, he’s Portuguese — but he does train out of SBG Ireland, making him something of an adopted son.

“I’ve been there before, when I fought Brian Moore. I love the Irish fans, they always support their guys and they build an awesome atmosphere,” said Weichel. “But we will also have some fans, some friends and family from Frankfurt, Germany there. So I will take that energy with me into this fight.”

Watch the full Bellator 270 media day appearance from Daniel Weichel above. More coverage of the event can be found below. Bellator 270 takes place Friday, November 5 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

The post Bellator 270: Daniel Weichel Believes He’s Better Than Pedro Carvalho “In Every Part of the Game” appeared first on Cageside Press.

The featherweight has dropped his last two fights to Patricio Pitbull and Jay Jay Wilson, the former in a title fight as part of the promotion’s recently completed featherweight grand prix.

Coming off of those setbacks, “my game changed really, really drastically,” Carvalho (11-5) said during Wednesday’s Bellator 270 media day. “I think, I’m kind of a 180 degree change kind of thing, for good. For really good.”

Carvalho has said more than once that while it’s never good to lose, “at the same time, I think it was the best thing in my career so far. Because right now, I think I’m the very best version of myself, and if it wasn’t for the losses, I would never be able to realize that and open my eyes about that.” And open his eyes about the other things he needed to work on, he added.

When it comes to the focus of those recent changes, that led to him doing a 180, Carvalho told Cageside Press that one key area was “my striking. Because before I lost my fights, I just considered myself a MMA striking fighter.”

Carvalho said that previously, he simply did a bit of pad work, then focused his time on “takedown defense, grappling exchanges, scrambles, this and that. Then I realized ‘man I’m a really good grappler.'”

“Meanwhile my last two losses were on my feet,” Carvalho continued. “So something was wrong. That was the main thing. I kind of switched the focus. I kept focus of course on my grappling game, but I gave a way bigger focus on my striking game. Because I know I’m a really good striker, but if you don’t train how much you should, you’re going to lose things.”

That Carvalho’s losses came to then-champ Patricio Freire and the undefeated Wilson, who came in heavy, shouldn’t be overlooked. The Portuguese fighter admitted that “it depends on the point of view. Overall, maybe yes. Of course we are talking about probably the pound-for-pound best, or one of the pound-for-pound best featherweights of all time, that is Patricio [Pitbull]. And yeah, Jay Jay Wilson is an undefeated guy.”

Carvalho went on to add that “in my point of view, maybe not. Maybe I’m being too harsh on myself, but in my point of view, I still believe I’m the best in the world. That’s why I train, and in my point of view, I should beat them, but I was childish, I was immature in those fights. One in the cage, the other leading into the cage, that I just rushed too much and too soon getting into another fight after the Patricio fight. And I paid a price. But to be honest, that doesn’t really matter to me, because every time I’m here, I’m here to win, I’m here prove a point, I’m here to prove who I am, and how real I am when I say that I’m the best.”

Heading into his fight with Daniel Weichel this Friday, Carvalho feels happy again, he continued. “I feel I’m in the right spot mentally. I didn’t feel like this for a long time, and I’m really happy, I have no doubts that this Friday will be the best performance of my life, and for me that’s all that matters.”

Watch the full Bellator 270 media day appearance from Pedro Carvalho above. More coverage of the event can be found below. Bellator 270 takes place Friday, November 5 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.

The post Bellator 270: Pedro Carvalho Says His Fight Game Underwent “180 Degree Change” appeared first on Cageside Press.