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Bellator 272 was an entertaining night of fights for the promotion. The event culminated with the main event between two talented featherweights vying for the next title opportunity. Ádám Borics defeated Mads Burnell in a hard fought unanimous decision which could put him next in line for a title shot.
In the co-main event, Phil Davis defeated Julius Anglickas to remain in the title picture at 205lbs. 'Mr. Wonderful' did an excellent job using his wrestling to completely shut down his opponent and earn a unanimous decision.
There were also many standouts in the prelims part of the event. Roman Faraldo and Cody Law both earned quick first-round knockouts. The two American Top Team standouts are unbeaten in their professional careers and could see a step up in competition. This list will look at five takeaways from Bellator 272.
#5. Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix given start date
During the broadcast, the start date for the upcoming Bellator bantamweight Grand Prix was officially announced. The tournament is highly anticipated and is a great opportunity to showcase the promotion's 135lb division.
The bantamweight Grand Prix begins on Saturday, April 23, and takes place on the second of back-to-back nights in Hawaii. The promotion is kicking things off with their bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis defending his title against Raufeon Stots. This will be an interesting matchup for the start of the event as the two are teammates.
RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi will also be competing in the opening round matchup when he takes on Patchy Mix. It will be Horiguchi's first fight since his loss to Pettis this past December.
It's already shaping up to be a great event as the women's featherweight champion Cris Cyborg also defends her title against Arlene Blencowe. Former women's flyweight champion Ilima-Lei Macfarlane will also be competing in front of her hometown as she takes on Justine Kish.
#4. Jay-Jay Wilson belongs in Bellator's lightweight division
Despite a unanimous decision loss to Gadzhi Rabadanov at Bellator 276, Jay-Jay Wilson proved he belongs in the lightweight division. He held his own with another highly touted lightweight fighter and didn't look out of place at 155lbs.
Wilson made his lightweight debut after the tough weight cut to 145lbs caught up to him. He decided to move up to 155lbs permanently as it became increasingly difficult for him to cut down to featherweight. In an interview with MMA Junkie, he said:
"Usually by this time I'm pretty dead, but I still got energy, you know? I was hitting pads. I've only got about five more pounds to cut, so it's going to be an easy, easy weight cut." Jay-Jay Wilson during Bellator 276 Media Day.
He made his professional debut in the promotion in 2018 and had an unbeaten 8-0 record prior to the event. It will be interesting to see how he performs going forward. 'The Maori Kid' looked more comfortable at lightweight and it showed in his performance even though he lost.
#3) Johnny Eblen makes a statement in Bellator's middleweight division
Johnny Eblen made a statement with his win over John Salter at Bellator 276. It was another impressive win for him as he extended his undefeated streak and improved to 11-0.
'The Human Cheat Code' is another member of American Top Team who has ascended the promotion's middleweight rankings. During his post-fight interview, he called out reigning champion Gegard Mousasi. 'The Dreamcatcher' is coming off a win over Eblen's teammate Austin Vanderford, so a bout between these two would be logical.
'The Human Cheat Code' defeated the No.1-ranked middleweight decisively, which could set him up for a title shot. He should get the next title shot unless the promotion goes in a completely different direction. Aside from Eblen, another middleweight who could realistically challenge Mousasi is Anatoly Tokov. But with Tokov being uncertain at the moment because of visa issues, Eblen might get the title shot instead.
#2) Phil Davis making a strong case for another Bellator light heavyweight title shot
Phil Davis had a spectacular performance at Bellator 276 as he earned a unanimous decision win over No.4-ranked Julius Anglickas. He used his wrestling and didn't allow Anglickas any opportunity to gain even the slightest momentum with his striking.
'Mr. Wonderful' is another fighter who is in an interesting spot. He has two losses to the reigning champion Vadim Nemkov, but has beaten the other top contenders in the division. Following his loss to Nemkov in the Grand Prix, he defeated Yoel Romero by unanimous decision. He has now followed that up with a win over another top light heavyweight.
Davis' performances and back-to-back wins make a strong case for another title shot. If Corey Anderson wins the Grand Prix and dethrones Nemkov, then 'Mr. Wonderful' will likely get the title shot next. But if Nemkov retains, he might have to get another win to force the issue and earn a trilogy bout.
#1) Ádám Borics will get next Bellator featherweight title shot
Ádám Borics capped off an exciting main event at Bellator 276 when he defeated Mads Burnell by unanimous decision. It was a great performance as he extended his winning streak to 4-fights. He improved to 18-1 and should undoubtedly receive the next featherweight title shot.
Although 'The Kid' is most likely in line for a title shot, he'll have to wait a while. Reigning champion A.J. McKee is scheduled to fight Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire in April 2022. But, there are many possibilities and the result of that fight will dictate the direction in which the promotion goes. If McKee wins, he'll likely make a permanent move to lightweight and if 'Pitbull' wins, there'll be another rematch.
Borics will have to decide whether he wants to remain active or wait for the title situation to get sorted out. Regardless of what happens in the McKee vs. 'Pitbull' rematch, there are still many exciting fights for 'The Kid' at 145lbs.
