Freire and Sanchez first squared off at Bellator 209 in November 2018, with "Pitbull" winning by unanimous decision to retain his championship.
Freire is on a remarkable run, winning six consecutive fights, including a 61-second knockout win of Michael Chandler at Bellator 221 to gain the lightweight strap. The Brazilian's last two wins have come in the grand prix; first a defeat of Juan Archuleta by unanimous decision at Bellator 228, then a first-round knockout over Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 252.
Sanchez earned another crack at the belt, taking care of Tywan Claxton and Daniel Weichel in the opening two rounds of the tournament.
Will Freire continue the torrid run he's been on? Does Sanchez learn from his mistakes from the first time around and pull off the upset?
Here is everything you need to know about Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez 2.
When is Patricio "Pitbull" Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez 2 at Bellator 255?
Date: Friday, April 2
Prelims: 6:00 p.m. ET
Main card: 9:00 p.m. ET
Bellator 255 takes place on Friday, April 2. Prelims get underway at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 9 p.m. ET. Pitbull and Sanchez should start about 10:15 p.m. ET, but the time depends on the length of the earlier fights.
How to watch Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez TV, live stream info
The Bellator 255 prelims can be live streamed on Bellator's YouTube channel. The main card is available on Showtime.
Where is Bellator 254?
Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. It is the sixth time Freire will compete at the venue while Sanchez will fight there for the second time.
Patricio Freire and bio
Nationality: Brazilian
Born: July 7, 1987
Height: 5-5
Reach: 65.5 inches
Total fights: 35
Record: 31-4
Emmanuel Sanchez record, bio
Nationality: Mexican
Born: August 11, 1990
Height: 5-9
Reach: 76 inches
Total fights: 24
Record: 20-4
Bellator 255: Pitbull vs. Sanchez fight card
Main card
- Patricio Freire (c) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez for Freire's Featherweight title; semifinals of Featherweight Grand Prix
- Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Mike Hamel; Lightweight
- Neiman Gracie vs. Jason Jackson; Welterweight
- Kana Watanabe vs. Alejandra Lara; Women's Flyweight
- Jack May vs. Tyrell Fortune; Heavyweight
Preliminary card
- Mukhamed Berkhamov vs. Herman Terrado; Welterweight
- Fabio Aguiar vs. Khalid Murtazaliev; Middleweight
- Jordan Newman vs. Branko Busick; Middleweight
- Roman Faraldo vs. Trevor Gudde; Welterweight
- Cee Jay Hamilton vs. Magomed Magomedov; Bantamweight
- Mandel Nallo vs. Ricardo Seixas; Lightweight
- Roger Huerta vs. Chris Gonzalez; Catchweight (160 lb)