Bellator 286 was a solid night full of some of the biggest names in Bellator. Patricio Pitbull completed a dominating title defense, then ended the night with a lot of big aspirations in his future of MMA. Check the Bellator 286 winner below.
Along with the other big names of the card, AJ McKee came back from his first career loss to get back in the win column with a dominating win over Spike Carlyle. Along with Aaron Pico having one of the most insane moments in MMA history. A Bellator winner is always special to see, but the excitement brought the card to a different level.
Is Pitbull the best to ever do it in Bellator? Will the trilogy with him and McKee happen? This is a big question with Pitbull’s future plans in MMA and McKee moving up a weight class and looking great.
Aaron Pico is a Savage
If you were watching the event, Bellator mma odds showed that the featherweight bout between Aaron Pico and Jeremy Kennedy that night in Long Beach, you saw one of the craziest efforts to keep fighting you probably have ever seen. Pico wasn’t a Bellator 286 winner, but he proves once again that he is a savage and wants to win more than anything.
In the first round of the fight, Pico suffered a dislocated shoulder during a clinch up against the cage, and going into his corner after the round, it was clear he could not go on with the current state of his arm.
Pico’s coach, Brandon Gibson, was seen grabbing his arm and yanking it in the most aggressive fashion you can think of. This was probably not the best way to pop a shoulder back into place, but it showed the determination of Pico to stay in the fight and compete. You can’t do anything but respect him for the pain and discomfort he was probably feeling during those moments on live TV.
Will The Trilogy Happen?
One of the most exciting rivalries that Bellator has ever had, McKee and Pitbull are two of the most talented fighters they have had on their roster. The trilogy fight is in danger of never happening because of what the near future holds for both men.
Pitbull said in his post-fight interview that he wants to become a triple-champ and move down to bantamweight to compete for a world title in that division. This would be a legendary feat if he can pull it off, and he should go for it, even if the fans might want him to stay at featherweight and take fights there.
AJ McKee is probably going to be tied up in the lightweight division with the Grand Prix scheduled to start next year. That is potentially two years of McKee not being able to compete again at 145lbs, and he probably will be too big to cut in 2+ years anyways.
With Pitbull’s performance, he proves that he is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the history of Bellator and shows no sign in slowing down. At this point, he is free to do whatever he wants next, and fans should respect it, along with the promotion. A Bellator 286 winner with that performance is always special to watch.
Betting Results
As most Bellator events go, the majority the betting favorites came away with a victory on a Saturday night in Long Beach. The two underdogs that came out with a win were both via TKO due to injury, which is always something that seems to be forgotten while making MMA picks. This sport is so unpredictable.
The biggest one was Aaron Pico losing because of his dislocated shoulder and Jeremy Kennedy cashing in as a +650 underdog. These are both unfortunate endings to a fight, but the underdog bettors were very pleased with the results.
With pretty narrow Bellator odds in the main event, -145 for Pitbull looks like a total steal in hindsight. He is the best pound-for-pound fighter and had a dominating performance over a younger Adam Borics. Even though the fans weren’t pleased with the performance, we will take that win all day.
Conclusion
After a great night of fights in Long Beach, the Bellator 286 winner and event showed some exciting moments and lots to talk about.
From Spike Carlyle and McKee putting on a show for the fans, to Pitbull’s fiery post-fight interviews, and even being able to watch a coach try to yank a fighter’s arm off. The betting analysis rang true, and the betting favorites are who to ride with and make Bellator picks on.
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