The upcoming bout between Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire and AJ McKee is expected to be very close, but many bookmakers give Pitbull the slight edge to win Bellator 263. Pitbull is one of the most enduring characters in the Bellator contest, while McKee is unbeaten in the tournament.
All of which means that every MMA fan will be counting down the hours to the massive Bellator fight on 1 August. After all, this isn’t just another featherweight title fight. It’s also possibly the biggest bout in Bellator history. So we won’t just tell you how to find online bookmaker on wetten.com but we’ll also explain why the sportsbooks give Pitbull the edge.
The lowdown on the fighters
Anybody with any experience of watching Bellator fights will probably remember Pitbull’s grand entrance to the competition way back in 2010. This saw the fighter gaining an impressive win over William Romero by submission in Bellator 15. Since then, Pitbull has barely stopped with just four defeats in over a decade. With 20 wins under his belt along with the featherweight and lightweight titles, there is little doubting the fact that Pitbull is one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Not that McKee is any less impressive. The 26 year old has racked up 17 wins and is unbeaten in his Bellator career. The most impressive of these wins was probably that stunning submission win over Darrion Caldwell last winter. This was an amazing feat of technical fighting and it opened the doors to the massive fight this Saturday.
What we can expect from the big fight
The featherweight showdown on Saturday is going to be notable for many things and we’re not just talking about that $1 million grand prize. We’ll see a bout at The Forum in LA that sees McKee aiming to change the narrative of underdog versus favourite.
While Pitbull has a competitive track record that few would argue with, McKee has shown that he can routinely deliver the goods even in the most challenging circumstances. Any MMA fighter who can pick up 12 finishes in 17 bouts is going to be a tough character. Plus McKee is bigger and faster than his rival, and he has also revealed himself to be flexible in his fighting styles. It’s this versatility that could give the US fighter a good chance of pulling off an upset on Saturday.
But it seems as though the majority of betting sites still have Pitbull down as the slender favourite to win this bout. This could merely be down to the fact that the Brazilian fighter is more well-known of the pair. Plus anyone who remembers Pitbull’s knockout win over Michael Chandler will know that this fighter has unbelievable punching power. If Pitbull manages to get close enough to deliver one of his trademark right hooks, then it could end up being an early night for McKee.
However, there are so many variables in this fight that it’s virtually impossible to guess which way it’s going to go. Many people maintain that it’s McKee’s finishing power that could get him the win. Remember that McKee’s last three victories haven’t gone the distance, but don’t forget that Pitbull has managed to win three out of his past four wins.
Ultimately this is just a fight between two very evenly balanced fighters. Whether it’s the legacy of Pitbull or the unbeaten record of McKee, it’s going to be tough to call. Although Pitbull has the edge with the bookies, it’s truly anybody’s guess what’s going to happen here.