Who ordered daytime MMA over the lunch hour on Friday inside the United States? If you’re a Bellator MMA fan hungry for fights at lunch as you eat that sandwich at the end of the work week, the Combat Kitchen is serving up just what you ordered.
This Friday, the MMA weekend gets started right at the stroke of noon ET/ 9 am PT with Bellator’s second card of its new Champions Series format. Bellator Champions Series 2 takes place from Accor Arena in Paris on Friday afternoon.
Friday’s event is the first time this year that Bellator MMA will hold a card in Paris. After this weekend, the promotion will return to Paris on Nov. 16 at Adidas Arena for Bellator Champions Series 7.
If you’re inside the United States, the card will be streamed live and exclusively on Max, Warner Bros. Discovery’s subscription-based service, at the prescribed hour of the day. In a number of international markets, Bellator Champions Series 2 will be streamed on DAZN.
Bantamweight Supremacy on the Line in Bellator Champions Series 2 Main Event Friday Afternoon
All told, barring any further cancellations or postponements between now and fight day, the final version of Bellator Champions Series 2 will feature 10 total fights. Highlighting the afternoon’s activities is the battle for the Bellator MMA Bantamweight Championship in the main event.
Current champion Patchy Mix (19-1 MMA, 8-1 Bellator), an alum of Rizin Fighting Federation, meets challenger and No. 4 contender Magomed Magomedov (20-3 MMA, 4-2 Bellator) in a rematch of a 2022 fight won by the former. As with all Bellator MMA main events, this one is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round to close the show.
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Bellator Champions Series 2 Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds
Heading into the Bellator Champions Series 2 main event on Friday, champion Patchy Mix stands as the taller man at 5-foot-11, compared to the 5-foot-7 frame of Magomed Magomedov. Mix owns a 2 1/2-inch reach advantage (71 1/2 inches to 69 inches even.)
Currently, the oddsmakers have Patchy Mix installed as a -210 favorite on the money line, while Magomed Magomedov counters as a +175 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.
Mix Looking to Run Winning Streak to Seven
Patchy Mix has posted a record of 5-0 in his last five fights. At present, he’s on a six-fight winning streak going into the weekend. Last time out, he scored a second-round submission (rear-naked choke) against Sergio Pettis (23-6 MMA, 5-1 Bellator) during Bellator 301, the last Bellator card to be aired on Showtime.
He’s got 20 MMA fights to his credit and turned 30 last August. Despite this, Mix mentioned to USA Today’s MMA Junkie that he has no intention of leaving the sport in the immediate future.
“I’m riding it until I go higher than ever, man”, Mix began, “until the wheels fall off. I’m not looking to quit anytime soon. I’ve got an easy five years left in me. I’m trying to turn that [win total of] 19 into 25, 30.”
With Mix having won 19 of his first 20 career fights, he’s gone right past the seasoned veteran category and directly into legendary status. Another win in the Bellator Champions Series 2 main event would only add to his already impressive resume.
Magomed Magomedov Returns for First Time in Nine Months Friday
In the other corner, challenger Magomed Magomedov has posted a mark of 3-2 in his last five fights, alternating wins and losses in his last four.
Back in July of last year, he scored a first-round submission (guillotine choke) of Danny Sabatello (14-4 MMA, 4-3 Bellator) during Bellator vs. Rizin. Magomedov was the subject of a recent installment of Bellator Fight Camp Confidential where he discussed how it all began.
“I fought a lot on the streets, skipped school,” Magomedov began, through onscreen subtitles. “There were times when I didn’t go to school for three months. I don’t even remember how I got into the MMA industry myself. Initially, I was in a boarding school, where I competed as an amateur. After finishing it, I started to enjoy competition, participated in various sports, competed as an amateur a lot, and was offered to compete as a professional and have a fight.”
With Magomedov having over nine months between fights, the question of ring rust has popped up once more? How much does he have? The answer will be known on Friday.
Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction
Stylistically, the Bellator Champions Series 2 main event looks to favor Patchy Mix, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, compared to Magomed Magomedov’s background as a Dagestani wrestler.
Mix Awesome on the Mat
Of Patchy Mix’s 15 wins inside the distance, 13 have happened by submission, including his most recent win in the championship unification battle versus Pettis in Chicago last fall. During the second round of a scheduled five, upon putting Pettis in the back clinch, Mix dumped him and secured a body triangle.
From there, Mix trapped Pettis’ right arm underneath the neck, forcing Pettis to tap out, unifying the 135-lb. strap. If Patchy Mix can get Magomed Magomedov down on the mat once, it could yield to a successful defense of the title in the Bellator Champions Series 2 main event.
Magomedov Equally Great on the Ground
In the other corner, Magomed Magomedov sings “Anything you can do, I can do better.” Given his Dagestani wrestling prowess, it stands to reason that he could beat Patchy Mix to the takedown.
One need look no further than his Bellator 255 fight vs. Cee Jay Hamilton. About a minute into the second round of the contest, he executed a takedown from the clinch before the latter attempted an unsuccessful guillotine choke.
After softening Hamilton up with some punches, Magomedov returned to the clinch and dropped Hamilton a second time, applying the torque for a rear-naked choke. All Magomedov has to do here is gain control of the fight early. If Magomed Magomedov knocks Patchy Mix off of his gameplan, it’ll be game on in the Bellator Champions Series 2 main event.
Final Thoughts
Daytime MMA is always a treat, and it’s even more of a treat when a championship is up for grabs like it will be on Friday. If you don’t have the Max app installed to your phone, install it sometime this week.
Prediction: Patchy Mix by Second-Round Submission.
