Bellator 285 ceremonial faceoffs: Handshakes, grinding foreheads, and a dog bone
Bellator 285 takes place Friday at 3Arena in Dublin and Thursday, competitors came face-to-face one final time ahead of their respective bouts.
Among those who squared off were headliners Benson Henderson (29-11 MMA, 6-6 BMMA) and Peter Queally (13-6-1 MMA, 2-2 BMMA), who are set to compete in a five-round lightweight bout. Also on the card, former UFC middleweight title challenger Yoel Romero (14-6 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) serves as the final test for Melvin Manhoef (32-15-1 MMA, 4-4 BMMA), a combat sports legend expected to compete in his last MMA bout.
Four of the most experienced fighters on the card, the headliners and co-headliners remained respectful with handshakes after their faceoffs.
The ceremonial faceoffs came hours after all 26 fighters made weight at the host hotel.
The most intense interaction of the ceremony was between preliminary card openers Luca Poclit (7-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) and Dante Schiro (9-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA). The two welterweight fighters ground forehead against forehead until promotion and commission officials intervened.
The full Bellator 285 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Showtime, 4 p.m. ET)
Benson Henderson vs. Peter Queally
Melvin Manhoef vs. Yoel Romero
Leah McCourt vs. Dayana Silva
Mads Burnell vs. Pedro Carvalho
Ciaran Clarke vs. Rafael Hudson – 140-pound contract weight
PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 1 p.m. ET)
Brett Johns vs. Jordan Winski
Arivaldo Lima da Silva vs. Brian Moore
Karl Albrektsson vs. Karl Moore
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Kane Mousah
Darragh Kelly vs. Kye Stevens
Alex Bodnar vs. Kenny Mokhonoana
Asael Adjoudj vs. Jordan Barton
Luca Poclit vs. Dante Schiro
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 285.
