A massive day of fights is here for MMASucka staff picks.
PFL vs. Bellator will take place later today, February 24th from the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Professional Fighters League acquired Bellator MMA in November of last year. Preliminary fights will take place at noon ET (9:00am PT) on ESPNews and ESPN+. The main card will be on pay-per-view and available for purchase through ESPN+ and DAZN at 3:00pm ET (noon PT). See how to watch the event in your country here.
Stay tuned here at MMASucka for live PFL vs. Bellator results. Also, look out later today for our picks from UFC Fight Night 237: Moreno vs. Royval 2 in Mexico City.
Main Event
In the first of two Champion-versus-Champion fights, heavyweights Renan Ferreira and Ryan Bader are set to headline the card ahead. The winner of this matchup and all seven main card fights will receive a new Super Belt as well as a Championship Ring.
Brazil’s Ferreira enters the cage as the defending PFL Heavyweight Tournament Champion. Two losses-turned-No-Contests were part of a three-fight losing streak from mid-2022 to April of last year, but the finishing specialist rebounded with three consecutive knockouts including his title-capturing finish of Denis Goltsov. Ferreira’s opponent, Bader, brings the experience as the 40-year-old will make his 40th MMA appearance. The Ultimate Fighter 8 victor and former NCAA Division I wrestler comes in as the three-time defending Bellator Heavyweight Champion and the former 205-pound title holder.
PFL confirmed on Thursday that former UFC Heavyweight Champion Francis Ngannou will fight the winner between Ferreira and Bader at a later date.
Co-Main Event
Middleweights will clash in the co-main event between Impa Kasanganay and Johnny Eblen. After two consecutive losses and a release from the UFC, Kill Cliff FC’s Kasanganay turned his career around with six straight victories and his dominant capturing of PFL’s Light Heavyweight Championship in the Finals over Josh Silveira. Another former NCAA Division I wrestler, American Top Team’s Johnny Eblen, steps in as a twice-defending Bellator Middleweight Champion with an undefeated run of 14 victories.
Fight Changes
In recent weeks, two “Champ versus Champ” pairings were shuffled.
An injury forced last year’s PFL Featherweight Tournament Champion Jesus Pinedo out of his fight with three-time Featherweight and former Lightweight Bellator Champion Patricio Pitbull. In turn, Pitbull was scheduled to take on last year’s featherweight finalist Gabriel Alves Braga. On Friday, PFL announced Alves Braga was “unable to compete,” and as a result, Pitbull was removed from the card.
Secondly, two-time PFL Tourney winner Ray Cooper III has stepped in on short notice for an injured Magomed Magomedkerimov. At a catchweight of 182 pounds, Cooper III will clash with Bellator Welterweight Champion Jason Jackson.
Remaining Card
Three additional fights compose the PFL vs. Bellator pay-per-view.
Former RIZIN competitor and 2021 PFL Champion Bruno Cappelozza will face off against five-time defending Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Vadim Nemkov in the heavyweight division. Former UFC competitors and veteran combat athletes Thiago Santos and Yoel Romero will meet at 205 pounds. Lastly, two-time PFL Tournament finalist Clay Collard will fight former Bellator Featherweight Champion A.J. McKee in the lightweight main card opener.
Who is picked to win at PFL vs. Bellator? Find out further below.
Staff Picks
MMASucka staff picks are composed of four of the world’s leading mixed martial arts organizations: the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), the Professional Fighters League (PFL) with Bellator MMA, ONE Championship (ONE FC), and Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS).
- UFC picks will compose main card fights ranging from four to six matchups per event.
- PFL and Bellator MMA see picks from main cards for pay-per-views and from tournament fights in the Regular Season, Playoffs, and Finals.
- ONE FC and DWCS picks will feature all MMA fights from the event with a minimum of three matchups.
The individual who picks the most victorious fighters by the end of 2024 will have a choice between receiving a custom-made championship belt from ProAmBelts or a detailed chain from Championship Chains. Staff picks in 2023 were won by Ben Jamieson with a record of 300-148.
Find below our picks for PFL vs. Bellator.
RECORDS AFTER UFC 298:
1. Frazer Krohn: 27-12
2. Nate Freeman: 25-14
3T. Jeremy Brand: 21-18
3T. Wesley Riddle: 21-18
5T. Michael DeSantis: 20-19
5T. Julio Monteros Jr.: 20-7
7T. Andrew Benjamin: 13-12
7T. Lukas DeWitt: 13-9
9. Michael Kachan: 6-2
10. Casey Cooper: 4-5
*Note – not all staff pick for every event*
Clay Collard (24-11, 1 NC), +250
vs.
A.J. McKee (21-1), -310
LIGHTWEIGHT DIVISION
– 155 LBS. ~ 70.3 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: McKee via Round 2 SUB
Wesley Riddle: McKee via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: McKee via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Collard via Round 3 TKO
Frazer Krohn: McKee via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: McKee via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Collard: 1
Staff picking McKee: 5
Thiago Santos (22-11, 1 NC), -115
vs.
Yoel Romero (15-7), -105
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
– 205 LBS. ~ 93.0 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Romero via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Santos via Split Decision
Michael DeSantis: Romero via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Santos via Split Decision
Frazer Krohn: Santos via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Romero via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Santos: 3
Staff picking Romero: 3
Bruno Cappelozza (15-6, 1 NC), +295
vs.
Vadim Nemkov (17-2, 1 NC), -375
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Nemkov via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Nemkov via Round 3 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Nemkov via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Cappelozza via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Nemkov via Round 2 SUB
Nate Freeman: Nemkov via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Cappelozza: 1
Staff picking Nemkov: 5
Ray Cooper III (25-9-1), +410
vs.
Jason Jackson (17-4), -550
CATCHWEIGHT FIGHT
– 182 LBS. ~ 82.6 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Cooper III via Round 3 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Jackson via Round 3 SUB
Michael DeSantis: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Cooper III via Round 1 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Jackson via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Cooper III: 2
Staff picking Jackson: 4
Impa Kasanganay (15-3), +310
vs.
Johnny Eblen (14-0), -395
MIDDLEWEIGHT DIVISION
– CHAMP VS. CHAMP –
– CO-MAIN EVENT –
– 185 LBS. ~ 83.9 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Eblen via Round 2 TKO
Wesley Riddle: Eblen via Unanimous Decision
Michael DeSantis: Eblen via Unanimous Decision
Andrew Benjamin: Kasanganay via Unanimous Decision
Frazer Krohn: Eblen via Unanimous Decision
Nate Freeman: Eblen via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Kasanganay: 1
Staff picking Eblen: 5
Renan Ferreira (12-3, 3 NC), -145
vs.
Ryan Bader (31-7, 1 NC), +120
HEAVYWEIGHT DIVISION
– CHAMP VS. CHAMP –
– MAIN EVENT –
– 265 LBS. ~ 120.2 KG. –
Jeremy Brand: Bader via Unanimous Decision
Wesley Riddle: Bader via Round 2 TKO
Michael DeSantis: Ferreira via Round 2 TKO
Andrew Benjamin: Ferreira via Round 2 TKO
Frazer Krohn: Ferreira via Round 1 TKO
Nate Freeman: Bader via Unanimous Decision
Staff picking Ferreira: 3
Staff picking Bader: 3
𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗡𝗘𝗥 𝗚𝗘𝗧𝗦 𝗙𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗖𝗜𝗦 𝗡𝗚𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨!
🇧🇷 Renan Ferreira 🆚 @RyanBader 🇺🇸
[ #PFLvsBellator | Saturday, Feb 24th | 3pm EST | 🔗 https://t.co/C7U3kwS1zr ] pic.twitter.com/E96O9DCr63
— PFL (@PFLMMA) February 23, 2024
PFL VS. BELLATOR FEATURED IMAGE:
