Daniel Weichel Bellator 252 Pre-Fight Interview
Bellator 252 will host The Featherweight World Grand Prix closes out the quarter-final rounds with two five-round bouts. First up a rematch between Daniel Weichel and Emmanuel Sanchez, then the main event sees double champ Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire put his featherweight gold up for grabs against Pedro Carvalho.
Check out Daniel Weichel pre-fight interview above.
Weichel and Sanchez were set to clash at Bellator 241 on March 13, but the event was canceled due to the pandemic. The bout is a rematch of a July 2016 first meeting when Weichel won via split decision. Weichel outpointed Saul Rogers in the quarterfinals of the tournament, while Sanchez submitted Tywan Claxton.
Weichel (40-11), a veteran of over 50 pro fights came within seconds of becoming the Bellator featherweight champion when he nearly knocked out Pitbull in a title fight that has haunted him for over four years now.
They will rematch Friday at Bellator 241 in the quarterfinals of the featherweight grand prix, where the stakes are much higher this time. Weichel knows that he’s likely facing a different fighter than the one from almost four years ago, but the goal this time is to leave no doubt.
Sanchez (19-4) has only suffered defeats to two men over the last 11 fights, Weichel and Pitbull. This tournament has presented him with an opportunity to avenge both of those losses.
The winner of Weichel vs. Sanchez and Freire vs. Carvalho will meet the winner of McKee vs. Caldwell in the finals. As with a previous welterweight tournament, $1 million goes to the winner.
Bellator 252 Main Event:
145 lbs.: Patricio Freire (30-4) vs. Pedro Carvalho (11-3)
Bellator 252 Main Card (7:00 p.m. ET):
145 lbs.: Daniel Weichel (40-11) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (19-4)
170 lbs.: Yaroslav Amosov (24-0) vs. Logan Storley (11-0)
Bellator 252 “Prelims” Card (5:00 p.m. ET):
170 lbs.: Roman Faraldo (3-0) vs. Pat Casey (6-3)
145 lbs.: Aaron Pico (6-3) vs. John de Jesus (13-8)
155 lbs.: Manny Muro (11-6) vs. Devin Powell (10-4)
135 lbs.: Jornel Lugo (4-0) vs. Schyler Sootho (4-0)
115 lbs.: Keri Taylor Melendez (4-0) vs. Emilee King (4-3)
145 lbs.: Gabriel Varga (1-1) vs. Brandon Phillips (6-3)
170 lbs.: Khonry Gracie (2-1) vs. Trevor Gudde (1-1)
145 lbs.: Lucas Brennan (3-0) vs. Andrew Salas (6-4)
