Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull dropped a bombshell on MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast recently, hinting at a potential featherweight run in 2025. The move would require a significant weight cut to 145 pounds, marking a new chapter in Pitbull’s storied career.

“My brother and a few training partners are insisting that I move down to 145,” the Brazilian said. “Who knows, maybe after this season I’ll fight on the 145 season. I think there’s a good possibility I’ll put on good performances and win fights at 145.”

Despite no prior experience at featherweight (145 lbs), Patricky draws confidence from his successful lightweight run in Bellator since 2011. His current nutritionist, the same one who helped his brother Patricio make the cut to bantamweight (135 lbs), fuels his belief in a smooth transition.

“I just need to get used to training lighter and faster,” Pitbull continued. “I would need to adapt before the season starts, and not just cut weight for the season. My body reacts well to diets and I lose weight pretty easily.”

The growth of MMA lately has been incredible. We already have numerous names appearing on the martial arts scene who are already certified legends of MMA, mainly thanks to the UFC. And how do you become one of them and go from an amateur fighter to a professional one? We’ll look into it today!

How To Start an Amateur Career in MMA?

MMA fighters tend to be seen in the public eye when they are fighting and not necessarily at other times (well unless they’re Conor McGregor and famous for a million other things). Fans may wonder what they tend to get up to when they’re not fighting or training, and what sort of interests tend to be the hobbies of MMA fighters.

Not meaning to pigeonhole, we know that MMA fighters can enjoy a wide range of different things, from antique collecting to card games. Hobbies are unique and sometimes personal, but there are definitely some patterns and things we see MMA fighters getting up to time and time again.

Mixed Martial Arts is an increasingly popular sport that is capturing the attention of fans from more and more corners of the world. While the fans themselves are able to get a lot of entertainment and adrenaline out of the sport, companies have also begun to see it as an opportunity for growth and increased exposure for their brands.

This is not surprising, since in theory, with the help of placing an ad on the octagon or the back of a fighter, you can reach a really sizable audience. This happens mainly when brands decide to cooperate with top organizations, such as the UFC, KSW, Bellator or PFL. We would like to point out the reason why Mixed Martial Arts sponsorship is so popular among a variety of companies from all over the world.

Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) has surged in popularity in recent years, captivating audiences with its blend of athleticism, strategy, and raw combat. Alongside the rise of MMA, the world of sports betting has also seen significant growth, with fans eager to wager on their favorite fighters and events. 

As technology continues to advance, online sportsbooks are evolving to meet the demands of MMA enthusiasts, offering innovative features and betting options. In this exploration, we delve into the future of MMA betting, examining the trends and innovations shaping the landscape of online sports wagering.

Once again, we hit the safe parlay last week, but the others failed.  The smart parlay isn’t feeling so smart so far, and I may tighten the belt more on the requirements for that one in the near future.

This week, there is only 1 qualifying fight for the underdog and smart options (Oliveira/Tsarukyan), so going to skip those.

Post #4 in the series..  Here we go…

Bouts considered must satisfy all of the criteria below:

• Both fighters must be active (fought in 360 days prior to event).  Reduces uncertainty.
• Both fighters must have at least 5 fights, with at least 1 draw or 1 loss (excluding debut).  More data makes WHR happy.
• Both fighters must be rated in the same division as the fight.  Further reduces uncertainty.

Now for the parlays…

Light Heavyweight Championship (205)
[#1/#8P4P] Alex Pereira (9-2-0, -142) vs. [#4] Jamahal Hill (13-1-0, +116)
Alex Pereira is the All-Time #25 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.
Jamahal Hill is the All-Time #30 ranked Light Heavyweight fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Alex Pereira (2-1-0)
2023-11-11: W vs. [#5LHW] Jiri Prochazka (29-4-1) via TKO (Elbows) in 4:08 of round 2
2023-07-29: W vs. [#2LHW] Jan Blachowicz (29-10-1) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
2023-04-08: L vs. [#1MW] Israel Adesanya (24-3-0) via KO (Punches) in 4:21 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Jamahal Hill (3-0-0)
2023-01-21: W vs. [*] Glover Teixeira (33-9-0) via UD (50-44, 50-44, 50-44)
2022-08-06: W vs. [#13LHW] Thiago Santos (22-12-0) via TKO (Punches and Elbows) in 2:31 of round 4
2022-02-19: W vs. [#11LHW] Johnny Walker (21-8-0) via KO (Punch) in 2:55 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Alex Pereira 154, Jamahal Hill 448
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Women Strawweight Championship (115)
[#1/#1DD/#1P4P] Weili Zhang (24-3-0, -413) vs. [#2/#7DD/#9P4P] Xiaonan Yan (18-3-0, +307)
Weili Zhang is the All-Time #5 ranked Women’s fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Weili Zhang (3-0-0)
2023-08-19: W vs. [#4SW/#10DD] Amanda Lemos (14-3-1) via UD (50-43, 50-44, 49-45)
2022-11-12: W vs. [*] Carla Esparza (19-7-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 1:05 of round 2
2022-06-11: W vs. [*] Joanna Jedrzejczyk (16-5-0) via KO (Spinning Backfist) in 2:28 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Xiaonan Yan (2-1-0)
2023-05-06: W vs. [#5SW] Jessica Andrade (25-12-0) via KO (Punches) in 2:20 of round 1
2022-10-01: W vs. [#8SW] Mackenzie Dern (13-5-0) via MD (48-47, 48-47, 47-47)
2022-03-05: L vs. [#7SW] Marina Rodriguez (17-3-2) via SD (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Weili Zhang 238, Xiaonan Yan 343
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Weili Zhang leads 2-1
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Lightweight (155)
[#3/#10P4P] Justin Gaethje (25-4-0, -190) vs. [#3FW] Max Holloway (25-7-0, +155)
Justin Gaethje is the All-Time #12 ranked Lightweight fighter.
Max Holloway is the All-Time #8 ranked Absolute fighter.

Last 3 Fights: Justin Gaethje (2-1-0)
2023-07-29: W vs. [#4LW] Dustin Poirier (30-8-0) via KO (Head Kick) in 1:00 of round 2
2023-03-18: W vs. [#9LW] Rafael Fiziev (12-3-0) via MD (29-28, 28-28, 29-28)
2022-05-07: L vs. [#2LW/#6DD/#9P4P] Charles Oliveira (34-9-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 3:22 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Max Holloway (2-1-0)
2023-08-26: W vs. [*] Chan Sung Jung (17-8-0) via KO (Punch) in 0:23 of round 3
2023-04-15: W vs. [#8FW] Arnold Allen (19-3-0) via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
2022-07-02: L vs. [#2FW/#8DD] Alexander Volkanovski (26-4-0) via UD (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Justin Gaethje 259, Max Holloway 231
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Last week was a good week.  Technically, two out of three parlays hit — the “underdog” and the “safe” options.  Jason Butcher, who was featured in the “underdog” parlay, withdrew from his fight. This reduced the underdog option to one fight, but it still would’ve cashed at a lesser payout.

I’m going to start tracking progress back to the start of the weekly 3-parlay posts and include that ongoing.  This is post #3.

Here we go…

Bouts considered must satisfy all of the criteria below:

• Both fighters must be active (fought in 360 days prior to event).  Reduces uncertainty.
• Both fighters must have at least 5 fights with at least 1 draw or 1 loss.  More data makes WHR happy.
• Both fighters must be rated in the same division as the fight.  Further reduces uncertainty.
• Major organizations only.  If it is a dead week, I’ll bend.  Other interesting bets may be posted in comments.

Now for the parlays…

When it comes to Irish MMA stars, there are none as exciting as Conor McGregor. Back in 2014, he managed to defeat Diego Brandao at the Dublin O2 Arena. At that point, he became a famous name in the MMA scene, and went on to become the very first “Champ Champ”.

At that fight in 2014, five different Irish MMA fighters managed to win their matchups as well. At this point, it looked like Irish fighters were going to become the biggest names in MMA, but since then we haven’t seen the same success from them. This has been especially disappointing for those in the betting scene, who were hoping to see more from Irish Fighters. Irish bookmakers seen at Betfree.ie offer betting on pretty much every MMA event, but unfortunately at the moment not many Irish stars are listed. With MMA becoming a bigger deal and no one in betting, Irish punters want to bet on the home fighters.

Now though, there are several different MMA fighters who are looking to replicate that success and become the top names in the sport. Here are just some of these fighters that you need to be watching right now.

Middleweight (185)
[#9] Brendan Allen (23-5-0, -208) vs. [#21] Chris Curtis (31-10-0, +168)

Last 3 Fights: Brendan Allen (3-0-0)
2023-11-18: W vs. [#18MW] Paul Craig (17-7-1) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 0:38 of round 3
2023-06-24: W vs. [#42MW] Bruno Silva (23-11-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 4:39 of round 1
2023-02-25: W vs. [#20MW] Andre Muniz (24-6-0) via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) in 4:25 of round 3

Last 3 Fights: Chris Curtis (1-1-0, 1 NC)
2024-01-20: W vs. [#38MW] Marc-Andre Barriault (17-7-0) via SD (28-29, 30-27, 30-27)
2023-06-10: NC vs. [#13MW] Nassourdine Imavov (13-4-0)
2023-04-08: L vs. [#26WW] Kelvin Gastelum (18-9-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Brendan Allen 140, Chris Curtis 77
Previous Match-up Record: Chris Curtis leads 1-0-0
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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Featherweight (145)
[#41] Damon Jackson (22-6-1, +156) vs. [#82] Alexander Hernandez (14-7-0, -192)

Last 3 Fights: Damon Jackson (1-2-0)
2023-08-05: L vs. [#38FW] Billy Quarantillo (18-6-0) via UD (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
2023-01-14: L vs. [#16FW] Dan Ige (18-7-0) via KO (Punch) in 4:13 of round 2
2022-09-17: W vs. [#76FW] Pat Sabatini (18-5-0) via TKO (Submission to Punches) in 1:09 of round 1

Last 3 Fights: Alexander Hernandez (1-2-0)
2023-10-07: L vs. [#35FW] Bill Algeo (18-8-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2023-02-18: W vs. [#54LW] Jim Miller (37-17-0) via UD (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
2022-12-10: L vs. [#38FW] Billy Quarantillo (18-6-0) via TKO (Knees and Punches) in 4:30 of round 2

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Damon Jackson 245, Alexander Hernandez 182
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: Even: Both have 1 win(s) against common opposition.
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Featherweight (145)
[#46] Jose Mariscal (15-6-0, +135) vs. [#110] Morgan Charriere (19-9-1, -166)

Last 3 Fights: Jose Mariscal (3-0-0)
2023-09-09: W vs. [#144FW] Jack Jenkins (12-3-0) via TKO (Arm Injury) in 3:19 of round 2
2023-06-24: W vs. [#159LW] Trevor Peek (9-1-0) via UD (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
2023-02-17: W vs. [#118FW] Guilherme Faria de Souza (19-10-0) via TKO (Punches) in 2:02 of round 2

Last 3 Fights: Morgan Charriere (3-0-0)
2023-09-02: W vs. [#534FW] Manolo Zecchini (11-4-0) via KO (Body Kick and Punches) in 3:51 of round 1
2023-07-21: W vs. [#332LW] Diego Silva (16-9-0) via TKO (Punches) in 4:13 of round 3
2023-04-29: W vs. [#924FW] Pedro Souza (18-5-0) via TKO (Doctor Stoppage) in 5:00 of round 1

Days Since Last Pro Fight: Jose Mariscal 210, Morgan Charriere 217
Previous Match-up Record: No previous match-ups.
Wins Against Common Opposition: No common opposition or both are winless against common opposition.
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