When Bellator Fighting Championships invades the Pechanga Resort & Casino in Temecula, California, on September 13 for Bellator 99, fans tuning into the second event of season nine will be in for an interesting event. After a great main event at Bellator 98, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and former Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Diego Nunes will have big shoes to fill to match the fight between Alexander Schlemenko and Brett Cooper. The co-main event will also see two former UFC fighters square off with Houston Alexander taking on Vladimir Matyushenko.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Diego Nunes
Freire, the talented 26-year-old native of Natal, Brazil is coming into this fight with an 18-2 career record. He has an impressive 6-2 mark inside the Bellator cage with both losses coming against some of the best in the promotion’s featherweight division. He lost to Joe Warren in the season 2 featherweight tournament finals and then to Pat Curran in a fight for the Bellator featherweight title.
For Nunes, a former top ranked fighter in the UFC, this fight will be his first not inside the Octagon since 2011. He comes into this fight with an 18-4 career record, but has lost three of his last five. It was his last loss to Nik Lentz in January that led to his release from the promotion.
Vladimir Matyushenko vs. Houston Alexander
Originally, Matyushenko was supposed to face former Bellator light heavyweight champion Christian M’Pumbu in this fight, but Alexander was called in as an injury replacement. Matyushenko is 26-7 in his career and lost his last two fights to Alexander Gustafsson and Ryan Bader, prompting his release from the UFC.
For Alexander, a UFC fight is something he hasn’t even sniffed since 2009 when he lost to Kimbo Slice. He has been competing on the smaller circuits since that fight, compiling a 6-4 (1) record since his UFC release.
