Bellator 252: “Pitbull vs. Carvalho” is set to air tonight (Thurs., Nov. 12, 2020) from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., featuring Featherweight champion “Pitbull” Patricio Freire (30-4) putting his title on the line against rising star Pedro Carvalho (11-3).
Bellator 252’s main card will air on CBS Sports Network at 7 p.m. ET (the undercard begins at 4 p.m. ET in the video player above). MMAmania.com will deliver results for the full card and comprehensive play-by-play for the televised portion of Bellator 252 below.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment (or 252) about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR 252 QUICK RESULTS:
Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho — Freire KO 2:10 R1.
Daniel Weichel vs. Emmanuel Sanchez — Sanchez UD 48-46, 49-46, 49-45.
Yaroslav Amosov vs. Logan Storley — Amosov SD 28-29, 29-28 X2.
Roman Faraldo vs. Pat Casey — Faraldo KO 2:30 R2.
Aaron Pico vs. John de Jesus — Pico KO 4:12 R2.
Manny Muro vs. Devin Powell — Muro UD 30-27 X2, 29-28.
Jornel Lugo vs. Schyler Sootho — Lugo UD 29-28, 30-27 X2.
Keri Taylor Melendez vs. Emilee King — Melendez sub (RNC) 3:02 R1.
Khonry Gracie vs. Trevor Gudde — Gudde TKO 3:28 R3.
Lucas Brennan vs. Andrew Salas — Brennan UD 30-27, 30-26 X2.
BELLATOR 252 PLAY-BY-PLAY:
Patricio Freire vs. Pedro Carvalho
The “champ champ” Freire is 30-4 in the red gloves and black trunks. The challenger Carvalho is 11-3 in the blue gloves and black trunks, draped in the flag of Portugal as he makes the walk to the Bellator cage. Freire is 33, Carvalho 25. The champ is 5’6” and the challenger 5’11”. Carvalho has a 5” reach advantage at 70.5”. Carvalho fights out of Dublin, Ireland. Freire fights out of Natal, Brazil. The referee in charge is Mike Beltran. Despite all the talking leading up to this fight, both men touched gloves during final instructions.
Round 1: Carvalho charges in and lands the first leg kick. He’s got Freire backpedaling but not for long. A left hook lands and Carvalho momentarily stiffens up. Freire pushes him into the fence. They jockey for position and Carvalho throws a knee. He backs up at 1:10. Carvalho tries to pressure him backward but Freire rocks him with a right and takes the back as they go to the mat. Carvalho escapes and gets back to his feet but that’s twice now he’s been rocked by a shot. Freire catches him again and drops him with one more shot. IT’S OVER.
Final result: Patricio Freire wins by knockout at 2:10 of the first round.
Daniel Weichel vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
Sanchez is 19-4 heading into this rematch in search of a win with the white trunks with black trim and blue gloves, while his opponent Weichel is 40-11 in the red gloves, black trunks with silver trim. 5’9” to 5’10” from Sanchez to Weichel, while both men have a 70” reach. Sanchez fights out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Weichel fights out of Frankfurt, Germany. Our referee in charge is Todd Anderson. Both men exchange a hard fist pound during final instructions before we get underway.
Round 1: Sanchez comes right out with a flying knee that misses. Weichel takes him down at 20 seconds but lets him back up. Sanchez tries to back Weichel up to the fence but he circles and comes forward. Head kick from Sanchez and a few body kicks. Leg kick. Spinning backfist misses. Weichel continues to jab with the left hand and pump the right hook. Sanchez puts a left clean on his chin. Body kick from Sanchez. Right hook. Sanchez has him against the fence for a second. Weichel trips him and he cartwheels to keep on his fight. He hurts Weichel with a right hook. Knees from clinch. Left head kick connects. Weichel circles and Sanchez stays with him. Weichel pops him with a combo. Left hook by Weichel. Sanchez with the left and a leg kick. Constant pressure and striking. 10-9 Sanchez.
Round 2: Sanchez hasn’t lost a step between rounds. 45 seconds in and he has Weichel hurt with a body shot, and he knows it. Sanchez chases him across the cage and lands another. Weichel crumbles at 1:18 and Sanchez gets on top looking to finish the fight. He takes the back throwing right hands and Anderson warns Weichel he needs to move. The stoppage could come at any second. Weichel is trying to posture up but he can’t. Weichel gets back up at 2:26 and Sanchez starts attacking to the body again. Weichel is throwing wild hooks trying to keep Sanchez at bay. 3:00 gone. Sanchez clinches to throw knees. He steps back to attack and closes the distance again. Right elbow to the face. Body kick. Lefts and rights. Weichel with one hard counter hook in there. Body shot. Head kick. Leg kick. Right hook. Sanchez spins him around with a leg kick. Body shot. Knee from clinch. Weichel backs up. Spinning heel kick from Sanchez. 10-8 round.
Round 3: The doctor checked Weichel between rounds and cleared him to continue. Sanchez clips the lead left leg with a hard kick immediately. Weichel is moving backward and just trying to survive. Weichel lands one jab out of about six strikes thrown by both men. They exchange leg kicks and Weichel momentarily makes Sanchez slip. Knee to the body from Sanchez. Weichel pops him with the left jab. Weichel is having mobility issues with his left leg. He’s standing very gingerly on it. No bounce in his step. Head kick shaves Weichel’s head. 2:30 gone. Leg kick. He gets popped by a couple jabs. Weichel nearly trips him off a kick. Clinch for a knee from Sanchez. Leg kick. 1-2, 1-2, head kick. Leg kick. Body shot. Push kick. Weichel is still in this. Head kick flush for Sanchez. 10-9 Sanchez.
Round 4: Weichel is trying to turn the tide by getting his arms around Sanchez from behind looking for a takedown. He’s unable to break Sanchez down and he turns around to throw a knee before they move back to center. Sanchez gets him backpedaling with the jab. Weichel keeps his right arm tucked low trying to prevent body shots from getting through. He throws a right hook and gets behind Sanchez again. He’s leaning into him with all of his weight but Sanchez is keeping his posture upright. Sanchez gets his back to the fence with two minutes remaining. They reset again. 1-2 from Sanchez. There is swelling on the right side of Weichel’s face. Sanchez stuffs a takedown. Blood is flowing for Weichel. Sanchez continues to open it up with lefts. 30 seconds. Spinning kick. Leg kick. Right hook. It’s all there for Sanchez. 10-9.
Round 5: Sanchez was reportedly on his feet the entire time between rounds. Weichel tries to push Sanchez to the fence but he easily spins free. Head kick connects. Weichel shoots, Sanchez blocks. they end up back on the fence. His corner calls for him to step back and throw an elbow. He throws a leg kick instead. Knee to the body. Right hook. Sanchez drops levels and takes Weichel down at 1:43. Weichel tries to connect with upkicks but Sanchez gets back on top in half guard. Weichel gets him back to full guard and tries to kick him away. Every time he does Sanchez gets right back on top. He tries to shrimp up on his hips and that doesn’t work either. Sanchez lets him up at 3:28. Weichel lands a couple of left jabs and his corner gets very excited. Sanchez lands a hard right hook. 10 seconds. Knee from Sanchez. Head kick is blocked. Weichel gives chase to the bell. 10-9 Sanchez.
Final result: The judges score it 48-46, 49-46 and 49-45 for Emmanuel Sanchez.
Yaroslav Amosov vs. Logan Storley
Two undefeated Welterweights step into the cage tonight. Amosov is 24-0 while Storley is 11-0. Storley fights out of Webster, South Dakota in the black trunks and blue gloves. Amosov has black trunks and red gloves fighting out of Kiev, Ukraine. The referee for this contest is Kevin MacDonald.
Round 1: A glove tap gets us underway before Storley goes for a single leg. Amosov balances like a flamingo as Storley tries and fails to get him to the ground. The second attempt isn’t going any better and he lets it go. Amosov sprawls and blocks yet another one. He lets a heavy kick go as Storley backs off. Amosov throws the combos and stuffs another takedown. The single leg just isn’t there for him. 2:30 gone. He throws a punch and shoots immediately. Storley finally gets Amosov down to his knees and tries to take the back. Amosov eats a right hand as he gets free. Amosov answers with his own takedown. It’s a close first round. 10-9 Amosov.
Round 2: Storley gets a takedown at 45 seconds and briefly has one hook in. Amasov escapes but Storley gets him back to his knees, making him carry all of Storley’s weight. He gets up again at 1:30 and turns free nine seconds later. Amosov sprawls but Storley gets another takedown. Amosov nearly turned it into a d’arce choke but Storley slipped free. 2:30 gone. Amosov opens up with some strikes and circles away. Storley knocks out Amosov’s mouthpiece and the ref calls time to make him put it back in. Amosov goes for the d’arce a couple more times but he doesn’t have it. He gets behind Storley as he stands back up. Amosov grounds him and cinches up one leg to do a little damage. 10-9 Amosov.
Round 3: It’s all up in the air this round. Neither corner can be convinced their man has banked a 2-0 lead. In fact Amosov’s corner told him that Storley was winning, but Storley’s should have done the same if they’re on their game. Amosov looks weary. He’s leaning into the strikes when he throws them. He stuffs a takedown though and pops Storley with a couple of shots. Left hook flush for Amosov. Amosov makes Storley stumble a bit by grabbing one leg. Left hook. Storley shoots in response. Amosov hops over him at 2:45. Storley wraps his arms around Amosov from behind and pulls him to the mat, getting one hook in and going for a rear naked choke. It’s under the chin but it’s not tight enough. Amosov breaks free. Storley keeps trying to reposition and sink it in. One minute left. Amosov escapes. 35 seconds. Amosov gets back up with 18 seconds left. Storley lands a good left hook. 10-9 Storley.
Final result: 29-28 Storley, 29-28 Amosov, and 29-28 for Amosov by split decision.
