Alexander Shabliy put on quite the clinic Friday at Bellator 301 when he defeated former lightweight champion Patricky Freire in the semifinal of the promotion’s ongoing grand prix.
The bout served as the main card opener at Wintrust Arena in Chicago and saw Shabliy (24-3 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) win a lopsided (and bloody) unanimous decision over Freire (25-12 MMA, 16-10 BMMA). All three judges scored the fight a clean sweep, at 50-45.
Shabliy was a man on a mission from the opening bell. He landed punches with surgical precision and mixed up his strikes to keep Freire guessing.
Despite his success, Shabliy continued to seek the finish. In Round 3, he landed a barrage that tested Freire’s chin and will. “Pitbull” hung tough, as always, though.
As the fight continued, Freire’s face deteriorated. Blood streamed from below his left eye and from his left ear. Shabliy landed a hard sequence in Round 5, including a wheel kick to the head but Freire did enough to make it to the final bell.
Nobody will be overlooking @AlexandrShabliy after that performance! 👏
Shabliy moves on to the #BellatorLWGP final following an incredible win over Patricky Pitbull.#Bellator301 LIVE on @SHOsports. pic.twitter.com/bKEJDlUUsX
— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) November 18, 2023
Bellator’s future beyond Friday’s event is uncertain. Should new life be breathed into the promotion and the grand prix continue, the next match for Shabliy is a bit clouded.
With lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov recently testing positive for a prohibited substance, Bellator executive Mike Kogan recently hinted the titleholder will rematch Brent Primus.
Regardless of tournament status, Shabliy extends his winning streak to nine. Other notable wins include Tofiq Musayev and Brent Primus, both of whom Shabliy finished with strikes.
Freire moves to 2-4 in his most recent six outings.
Up-to-the-minute Bellator 301 results include:
- Alexander Shabliy def. Patricky Freire via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45) – lightweight grand prix semifinal
- Archie Colgan def. Pieter Buist via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Denise Kielholtz def. Sumiko Inaba via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Timur Khizriev def. Justin Gonzales via unanimous decision 30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Keri Melendez def. Sabriye Sengul via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:06
- Matheus Mattos def. Richard Palencia via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:20
- Ramazan Kuramagomedov def. Randall Wallace via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:49
- Islam Mamedov def. Killys Mota via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Cody Law def. Jefferson Pontes via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Tim Wilde def. Mike Hamel via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:47
- Yves Landu def. Isao Kobayashi via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 301.
