A championship fight, two top female contenders and a handful of prospects are all on the docket for this Friday’s Bellator 178 event.
The card airs on Spike.com and Spike from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Serving as the headline act, Daniel Straus puts his featherweight title on the line against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire. This marks the fourth time that these two are set to collide, with Freire holding a 2-1 advantage.
Straus, 32 years old, hasn’t fought since a 2015 win over Freire for the title via decision. Injuries have kept him on the sidelines, but he is 7-2 over his last nine fights.
Both of those losses, though, came via submission – including one two years ago to Freire. The other was to Pat Curran in 2014 that cost him the title during his first run.
Freire, three years younger, moved up to lightweight last August and lost to Benson Henderson after suffering a leg injury. He won the first meeting with Straus way back in 2011 via decision in a tournament final.
Along with that fight, female flyweights Ilima Macfarlane and Jessica Middleton square off in the co-main event. If you haven’t seen these two battle before, prepare to be in for a treat much like Rose Namajunas-Michelle Waterson was last week on UFC on FOX 24.
Saad Awad brings her 19-win resume to the cage to take on Ryan Quinn, who is returning to Bellator for the first time since a 2015 submission win.
And if it is hot prospects you like to watch, A.J. McKee kicks off the main card vs. Dominic Mazzotta, while former wrestling standouts Ed Ruth and Tyrell Fortune are scheduled for the prelims.
