Tomorrow in the co-main event of the Bellator Champions Series Belfast, the featherweight title is on the line. Arguably the most decorated fighter in the promotion’s history Patricio Pitbull (35-7) will look to defend his featherweight title against Jeremy Kennedy (19-3).
Pitbull finds himself in a very interesting position as many are calling him the underdog in this matchup. In fact, there are several betting outlets that have him as the underdog. The 36-year-old champion is entering this fight riding a career-worst two-fight losing streak.
Last June, Pitbull dropped to 135 and tried to become a two-division champion and lost to Sergio Pettis. He then took a short-notice fight in July on the Super RIZIN 2 card and was knocked out in the first round. He’s looking to show that despite those two losses, he’s still one of the best in the world.
Jeremy Kennedy earns this title shot having won three straight and six of his last eight fights. Most recently he won a decision over Pedro Carvalho a little over a year ago at Bellator 291. Prior to that, he defeated Aaron Pico after Pico suffered a shoulder injury in their fight.
Bellator Prediction
All the momentum in this fight is on the side of Jeremy Kennedy. That’s one of the key reasons why he’s favored in this matchup tomorrow. He needs to use his length on the feet and show off his strength in the grappling exchanges in this one. There are definite areas where he can be better than Pitbull.
However, I’m not willing to write off the Bellator great like so many are. I actually like Pitbull in this matchup. While he doesn’t have the same image as he did a couple of years ago, I still like his speed and ability to get inside in this fight. I think he’ll do enough over five rounds to win a very competitive decision to retain his featherweight title.
Prediction: Patricio Pitbull by Decision