Patricio Freire vs. Adam Borics, A.J. McKee vs. Spike Carlyle Set for Bellator 286

Instead of a trilogy against A.J. McKee, Patricio Freire will next defend his featherweight title against Adam Borics in the Bellator 286 main event.

The Press-Telegram was first to report the booking. McKee won’t be far from the featured proceedings, however, as he will make his 155-pound debut against Spike Carlyle in the co-main event. Sherdog.com subsequently confirmed the bouts with a promotion official. Bellator 286 takes place on Oct. 1 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif., and the evening’s main card will air on Showtime.

After losing the 145-pound belt to McKee in a first-round submission loss at Bellator 263 in July 2021, Freire regained the title with a five-round verdict against his rival in the Bellator 277 headliner on April 15. “Pitbull” has won eight of his last nine promotional appearances dating back to 2017.

Borics, meanwhile, earned a unanimous decision against Mads Burnell in a title eliminator bout at Bellator 276 on March 12. The 29-year-old Hungary native has won four straight Bellator appearances and nine of his last 10 overall within the organization. His lone defeat in 19 professional outings came against Darrion Caldwell at Bellator 238.

Prior to relinquishing the featherweight strap to Freire, McKee had been victorious in his first 18 professional outings — all under the Bellator banner. His resume includes notable triumphs over the likes of Pat Curran, Georgi Karakhanyan, Caldwell and Freire.

Carlyle has won five straight bouts since a 1-2 stint in the UFC. The 29-year-old Kings MMA product followed a rear-naked choke win over Dan Moret in his Bellator debut this past December with another submission victory, this time over Koji Takeda at Rizin 35 on April 17. He has finished all of his last five opponents inside the distance.

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