Bellator is back in its Northern California home base this week with two title fights at the top of the card.
Bellator 277 takes place Friday at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. The main card airs on Showtime following prelims on MMA Junkie.
(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)
In the main event, featherweight champion A.J. McKee (18-0 MMA, 18-0 BMMA) takes on challenger and former champ Patricio Freire (32-5 MMA, 20-5 BMMA) in a rematch. McKee is a big -340 favorite at Tipico; the comeback on “Pitbull” Freire is +250. McKee finished Freire quickly in their first meeting in 2021, and he’s one of two unanimous picks on the main card from our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers.
In the co-feature, light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (15-2 MMA, 7-0 BMMA) meets Corey Anderson (16-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) for the title in the 205-pound grand prix final. Nemkov is a mild favorite at -165 and has a 7-4 lead in the picks.
Also on the main card, featherweight Aaron Pico (9-3 MMA, 9-3 BMMA) is a huge -850 favorite against short-notice replacement opponent Adli Edwards (9-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA). He’s our other 11-0 unanimous pick.
And to open the main card, Tim Johnson (15-8 MMA, 3-4 BMMA) takes on Linton Vassell (22-8 MMA, 10-5 BMMA) in a fight between former heavyweight title challengers. Vassell is a slight favorite at -135, but he’s a near-unanimous pick at 10-1.
In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, McKee (79 percent), Nemkov (65 percent), Pico (85 percent) and Vassell (65 percent) are the choices.
Check out all the picks above.
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