There’s a pretty good UFC 234 card in Australia this weekend, but if you are looking for an MMA betting warmup to that, there’s also a Bellator event from England headlined by a lightweight bout between Patricky “Pitbull” Freire and Ryan Scope. Here’s a look at the main fights. Check back for Bellator odds.
Bellator Newcastle Betting Preview & Predictions
Two more sleeps till @BellatorMMA comes to @ArenaNewcastle.
Former Geordie Shore star @AaronCGShore is promising a good show for his hometown fans: pic.twitter.com/yLAoq0oaXA — Metro Radio News (@MetroRadioNews) 7 de febrero de 2019
- When: Saturday, 5 PM ET
- Where: Utilita Arena, Newcastle upon Tyne, England
- Live Stream: Paramount Network
Patricky Pitbull (20-8) vs. Ryan Scope (10-1)
The winner of this lightweight matchup could be in line for a title fight. Pitbull enters a four-fight winning streak, having defeated Josh Thomson, Ben Henderson, Derek Campos, and Roger Huerta. Pitbull fought challenged for the Bellator Lightweight Title once, losing to then-champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 157.
Pitbull has long been a part of Bellator’s lightweight division and been among the best Bellator has ever had in the division. Freire’s usual game plan is to get in his opponent’s face early and often. This will most definitely be the strategy he employs against Scope. With a victory, it would be hard to deny Pitbull a shot at the champion, Michael Chandler. However, having previously gone 0-2 against Chandler, it could be a hard sell to the fans.
Scope makes his Bellator MMA debut in this bout and will also be competing for the first time in over a year. Scope has competed for BAMMA, ACB, and Made 4 The Cage, only losing once – by first-round submission – in his career. The U.K. native is a former BAMMA Lightweight Champion, defeating UFC veteran Mickael Lebout to win the gold in December of 2017. Scope has competed a total of 11 times as a pro-MMA fighter and just one of his bouts have gone the distance.
Pitbull’s aggressive style might be way too much for a first fight back more than a year. He has plenty of regional fight experience, but he has seen nothing quite at the level of Freire. A look at Scope’s highlight reel shows a fighter most comfortable standing, throwing nice boxing combinations behind a decent jab, as well as some solid leg kicks. In his most recent win over Lebout, Scope was largely backed up throughout the fight, and while he bloodied Lebout up with his punches, he was also badly hurt in the second round.
Aaron Chalmers (4-0) vs. Corey Browning (3-1)
Chalmers is a former reality TV star turned MMA fighter. He became a celebrity through his involvement in Geordie Shore, a reality-TV show based in the same location as the event on which Chalmers will fight: Newcastle upon Tyne, England.
Set to be the co-main event in his hometown, expect the crowd to be very much behind him. Chalmers is 4-0, with two KOs and two submissions. Browning himself is no slouch, picking up a TKO win over Kevin Ferguson Jr, the son of the late, great Kimbo Slice, in his last fight. Browning has won all four of his MMA bouts by finish.
Fabian Edwards (5-0) vs. Lee Chadwick (24-13-1)
Chadwick and Edwards will make their Bellator debuts against one another. Edwards has been chasing a fight with the former Cage Warriors champion since signing with Bellator last year as he aims to establish himself as Europe’s best middleweight. Edwards is known to MMA fans as the brother of UFC star Leon Edwards and the training partner of Aaron Chalmers.
Chadwick, 34, is also native to the United Kingdom. A longtime MMA veteran, Chadwick compiled a 24-13-1 record on the local circuit, and “The Butcher” has fought for ACB and Cage Warriors. Chadwick recently became the Cage Warriors middleweight champion, outpointing Victor Cheng in 2017.
Terry Brazier (10-1) vs. Chris Bungard (13-4)
A former two-division BAMMA world champion, Brazier is well known to UK MMA fans. He has proven himself on the UK scene and will want to follow the likes of Mark Godbeer, Paul Craig and Tom Duquensoy as BAMMA champions who have gone on to successfully compete in one of the world’s top MMA promotions. Brazier has rattled off nine straight wins since dropping his only loss, a seconds-long KO, back in 2015.
Scotland’s Bungard is a talented finisher, scoring stoppages in nine of his 13 wins. He has competed for a slew of promotions, including ACB and BAMMA. Bungard is currently riding a three-fight win streak having picked up wins over Danny Nash, Nataniel Roberto, and Niall Smith.
The Scot fights out of the Scottish Hit Squad under Brian Gallacher and alongside UFC light heavyweight Paul Craig. He will look to win four straight fights for the second time in his career against Brazier.
Expert Bellator Newcastle Picks
We like Pitbull, Browning, Edwards, and Brazier.
