The bracket for Bellator MMA’s highly-anticipated Lightweight World Grand Prix — which kicks off on March 10, 2022 — has been finalized, and the first-round matchups are sure to be filled with excitement and violence.
Kicking things off will be Tofiq Musayev facing off against Alexander Shabliy at Bellator 292 on March 10 in San Jose, Calif. Headlining that Showtime-televised event will be current division champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, defending his belt against longtime veteran, Benson Henderson. At Bellator Paris on May 12, Sidney Outlaw and Mansour Barnaoui will collide in another quarterfinal matchup.
And finally, former Featherweight champion, A.J. McKee has drawn a showdown against Patricky Pitbull, which will likely go down in the first quarter of this year, though the fight has yet to be finalized.
That is an interesting matchup, to say the least, given McKee’s history with the “Pitbull” brothers, having split 145-pound title fights against Patricio Freire, and then expressing his desire to take down the other half of the power-punching duo. While “The Mercenary” would have preferred to face Patricky while he was the champion, he now has the chance to advance in the tournament at his expense.
Check out the bracket below:
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The winner of the Grand Prix will earn a shot at the title and a whopping $1 million payday. The belt will be on the line in every round, which means it could change hands quite a bit by the time we reach the finale. All Grand Prix fights will be five rounds.
You know the players, and now you see the bracket, care to offer up a prediction (or three) as to how you think this will play out?
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