Two big fights and four prelims have been added to the Bellator 286 card.
Aaron Pico’s fight with Jeremy Kennedy is rebooked for Oct. 1 at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, Calif. Another key matchup also joins the lineup as ex-bantamweight champion Juan Archuleta meets Enrique Barzola.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the bookings to MMA Junkie on Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. ESPN was first to report the news.
Pico (10-3 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) was originally scheduled to face Kennedy at Bellator 277 in April, but Kennedy withdrew due to a broken orbital. Pico faced short-notice replacement Adil Edwards instead, knocking him out in Round 3 for his sixth straight win. Meanwhile, ex-UFC fighter Kennedy (17-3-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) hasn’t competed since defeating Emmanuel Sanchez via unanimous decision last December at Bellator 272.
Archuleta (25-4 MMA, 7-3 BMMA) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid. After he defeated Patchy Mix to capture the vacant bantamweight title in September 2020, Archuleta lost his belt to Sergio Pettis at Bellator 258, followed by a knockout loss to Raufeon Stots for the interim title in the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal at Bellator 279.
Barzola (18-6-2 MMA, 2-1 BMMA) was also eliminated in the bantamweight grand prix quarterfinal when he was submitted by Magomed Magomedov at Bellator 282 in June. Prior to that, the Peruvian fighter won his first two Bellator fights against Darrion Caldwell and Nikita Mikhailov.
Prelim additions include the promotional debut of former UFC fighter Max Rohskopf (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA), as he battles Mike Hamel (9-5 MMA, 2-2 BMMA). Also, lightweight contender Islam Mamedov (21-2-1 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) takes on former LFA champion Nick Browne (13-1 MMA, 2-0 BMMA).
With the additions, the Bellator 286 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
- Patricio Freire vs. Adam Borics – for featherweight title
- Spike Carlyle vs. A.J. McKee
- Jeremy Kennedy vs. Aaron Pico
- Juan Archuleta vs. Enrique Barzola
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Richard Palencia
- Mike Hamel vs. Max Rohskopf
- Nick Browne vs. Islam Mamedov
- Keon Diggs vs. Ricardo Seixas
- Khadzhimurat Bestaev vs. Khalid Murtazaliev
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 286.
