Featherweight Grand Prix Selection Show to Take Place at Bellator 228

After Bellator 228, the field will be set for the quarterfinals of the promotion’s featherweight grand prix. Determining the actual matchups for the Round of 8 will be the fun part.

The California-based organization announced Tuesday that the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix Selection Show will take place immediately following the 145-pound title bout between Patricio Freire and Juan Archuleta on Saturday.

From there, each grand prix competitor will draw a random number that will dictate when they get to pick their spot in the bracket. The fighters will draw their numbers based on the order in which they competed in the opening round — Emmanuel Sanchez will go first — and then tournament slots will be chosen in descending order from No. 1 to No. 8.

Bellator hopes to add intrigue with this selection process. Per a release:

Seeing the upcoming event dates and any previous picks made, and with the help of a coach or training partner that will be allowed onstage with the fighter to consult, a decision must be made…is the date of the next round of the utmost importance? Do you take on an “easier” opponent to try and advance to the next round? Or do you go toe-to-toe with a fierce rival right away in pursuit of a world title?

Bellator 228 includes the final four first-round matchups of the featherweight grand prix: Freire vs. Archuleta, Darrion Caldwell vs. Henry Corrales, Daniel Weichel vs. Saul Rogers and A.J. McKee vs. Georgi Karakhanyan.

Sanchez, Pedro Carvalho, Adam Borics and Derek Campos have already advanced to the quarterfinals by virtue of their victories at Bellator 226 on Sept. 7.

Bellator 228 takes place at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and streams exclusively on Dazn. The main card begins at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT, while prelims stream immediately prior at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT.