MMASucka staff picks are ready to go for the second part of our triple-header weekend.
Bellator 291 goes down today, February 25th from the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. This marks the promotion’s ninth visit in this Irish country since December of 2016 and first event since September’s Bellator 285 event. Prelims will begin at 11:30am ET (8:30am PT) followed by five main card fights, including the promotion’s welterweight championship main event, at 4:00pm ET (1:00pm PT) on Showtime.
Live results will be available here at MMASucka for the entirety of Bellator 291: Amosov vs. Storley 2.
Be sure to recap our picks from Saturday night’s ONE Fight Night 7 event in Bangkok, Thailand. Also, stay tuned to MMASucka later today for our UFC Vegas 70: Krylov vs. Spann picks from Las Vegas, Nevada.
The Fights
Welterweight gold sits on the line in the night’s featured main event between current champion Yaroslav Amosov and interim title holder Logan Storley. The two had fought once before in November of 2020 with Amosov handing Storley his one-and-only defeat to date in the back-and-forth, three-round split decision.
After the victory, Amosov faced off against Douglas Lima in mid-2021 for the divisional championship where he took a dominant unanimous decision in his 26th-straight win. The Sambo specialist returns to the Bellator cage for the first time after aiding Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War. Amosov’s opponent, Storley, has won three in-a-row since the loss including his split decision for the interim championship over Michael Page last May. A win for the former NCAA Division I wrestler would avenge his only professional defeat while finding the pinnacle of 170 pounds in his eleventh Bellator outing.
Featherweights Pedro Carvalho and Jeremy Kennedy will meet in the co-main event. Former divisional title challenger Carvalho targets a second straight win after defeating Mads Burnell by decision in September of last year. Surrey, British Columbia’s Kennedy aims for one higher with a potential three-straight victories since his April of 2021 defeat to Adam Borics.
Straight Blast Gym (SBG) Ireland talents Peter Queally, Sinead Kavanagh, and Ciaran Clarke look for their hands raised in front of their hometown crowd on the main card against their respected opponents of former LFA lightweight champion Bryce Logan, 28-year-old Janay Harding, and promotional newcomer Leonardos Sinis, respectively. See MMASucka’s picks for Bellator 291 further below.
๐จ ๐๐โ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐จ
The #Undisputed Welterweight Championship is on the line today at the @3ArenaDublin ๐ฎ๐ช
Donโt miss the @MonsterEnergy Prelims & #Bellator291 main card! ๐ pic.twitter.com/Lq4XtzXE8b
โ BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) February 25, 2023
2023 Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of five promotions: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Bellator MMA, ONE Championship, the Professional Fighters League (PFL), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). UFC and Bellator events feature picks from only main cards. PFL will feature select fights from the main and preliminary card while DWCS sees all fights counted from the event. ONE Championship returns to picks for the first time since 2020 and will feature only mixed martial arts (MMA) fights selected from cards with a minimum three matchups.
The WINNER of staff picks at the end of 2023, who picked the most victorious fighters, will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBeltsย or a chain fromย Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2022 was won by Wesley Riddle with a record of 264-135.
Who are the MMASucka staff picking to win at Bellator 291: Amosov vs. Storley 2?
2023 Staff Records after UFC 284:
1T. Nate Freeman: 21-9
1T. Ben Jamieson: 21-9
3T. Jeremy Brand: 19-11
3T. Tim Wheaton: 19-11
5T. Wesley Riddle: 18-12
5T. Michael DeSantis: 18-12
5T. Roemello Reyes: 18-12
8T. Frazer Krohn: 17-13
8T. Jack Goodwillie: 17-13
10T. Andrew Benjamin: 14-15
10T. Brian Knight: 14-12
10T. Julio Monteros Jr.: 14-8
13. Brandon Joint: 12-9
14T. Joshua Yule: 7-6
14T. Andrew Harbaugh: 7-5
*Note โ not all staff pick for every event*
*Note โ ONE Fight Night 7 picks will be added to the above records NEXT weekend*
Ciaran Clarke (6-0), -410
vs.
Leonardos Sinis (11-5-1), +330
Catchweight Fight
– 147.5 LBS. ~ 66.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Clarke via Round 2 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Clarke via Round 1 SUB
Andrew Benjamin: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Clarke via Round 1 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Clarke via Round 2 SUB
Roemello Reyes: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Clarke via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Clarke: 12
Staff picking Sinis: 0
Sinead Kavanagh (8-5), -200
vs.
Janay Harding (6-6), +170
Women’s Featherweight Division
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Harding via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Kavanagh via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Kavanagh via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Kavanagh via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Kavanagh via Round 2 TKO
Nate Freeman: Kavanagh via Split Decision
Tim Wheaton: Kavanagh via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Kavanagh via Round 3 TKO
Brian Knight: Harding via Split Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Kavanagh via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Kavanagh via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Kavanagh via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Kavanagh: 10
Staff picking Harding: 2
Peter Queally (13-7-1), -125
vs.
Bryce Logan (12-7), +105
Lightweight Division
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Queally via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Queally via Round 1 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Queally via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Queally via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Queally via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Queally via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Queally via Round 3 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Queally via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Queally via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Queally via Split Decision
Roemello Reyes: Queally via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Queally via Round 3 TKO
Staff picking Queally: 12
Staff picking Logan: 0
Pedro Carvalho (13-6), +230
vs.
Jeremy Kennedy (18-3, 1 NC), -275
Featherweight Division
Co-Main Event
– 145 LBS. ~ 65.8 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Carvalho via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Tim Wheaton: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Julio Monteros Jr.: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Brian Knight: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Jack Goodwillie: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Kennedy via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Carvalho: 1
Staff picking Kennedy: 11
Yaroslav Amosov (26-0), -155
vs.
Logan Storley (14-1), +135
Welterweight Divisional Championship
Main Event
– 170 LBS. ~ 77.1 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Amosov via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Amosov via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Amosov via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Storley via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Amosov via Round 3 TKO
Nate Freeman: Amosov via Round 3 TKO
Tim Wheaton: Amosov via Round 2 TKO
Julio Monteros Jr.: Amosov via Round 2 TKO
Brian Knight: Amosov via Round 3 TKO
Jack Goodwillie: Amosov via Unanimous Decision
Roemello Reyes: Amosov via Unanimous Decision
Ben Jamieson: Amosov via Round 2 TKO
Staff picking Amosov: 11
Staff picking Storley: 1
BELLATOR 291 FEATURED IMAGE:
Pedro Carvalho (left) and Jeremy Kennedy (right) ahead of their Bellator 291 co-main event taking place Saturday, February 24th from the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland (photo credits to Bellator MMA).
