The bracket for the highly anticipated Bellator MMA Lightweight World Grand Prix – which begins March 10, 2022 – has been finalized, and the first-round matchups are sure to be filled with excitement and violence.
Kicking off will be Tofiq Musayev taking on Alexander Shabliy at Bellator 292 on March 10 in San Jose, Calif. Headlining this Showtime televised event will be current division champion Usman Nurmagomedov defending his belt against longtime veteran Benson Henderson. At Bellator Paris on May 12, Sidney Outlaw and Mansour Barnaoui will square off in another quarter-final match.
And finally, former featherweight champion AJ McKee drew Patricky Pitbull, which will likely take place in the first quarter of this year, although the fight has yet to be finalized.
It’s an interesting matchup, to say the least, given McKee’s history with the “Pitbull” brothers, having shared 145-pound title fights against Patricio Freire, then expressing his desire to eliminate the other half of the powerful duo. While “The Mercenary” would have preferred to face Patricky when he was champion, he now has the chance to advance in the tournament at his expense.
Check out the support below:
The winner of the Grand Prix will earn a shot at the title and a massive $1 million payday. The belt will be in play every round, which means it could change hands quite a bit by the time we reach the final. All Grand Prix bouts will be five rounds.
You know the players, and now that you see the board, do you want to offer a prediction (or three) for how you think it will play out?
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