2 Bellator Belfast highlights you have to see to believe

Two Kellys earned brutal finishes at Bellator Champions Series Belfast.
Bellator Belfast
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Nathan and Nate Kelly stole the show with impressive performances at Bellator Champions Series Belfast.

Nate and Nathan, two of Ireland's promising prospects, got the chance to fight on home soil in Belfast. They made the most of their opportunities with a pair of victories during the Bellator Champions Series Belfast prelims. Nate, who was making his amateur MMA return, trapped Jordan Elliott in a wicked armbar submission to kick off the card.

Nate is now 3-2 in his amateur career and could be knocking on the door of the professional ranks after this latest win. The 19-year-old is considered a top SBG Ireland prospect. Earning wild submissions is nothing new for Nate. He trapped Callum Seaton in an arm-triangle choke in December for his second amateur victory.

Watch him get the armbar below.

Nathan and Nate Kelly treat Belfast to jaw-dropping finishes

After watching his SBG Ireland teammate get back in the win column, Nathan tallied a wild finish of his own. He earned his first knockout in nearly two years with a vicious elbow strike just 14 seconds into the fight. Nathan made the most of a failed takedown attempt by initiating the clinch and landing a devastating knockout. Watch him flatten Vikas Singh Ruhil with an elbow below.

Nathan has been on a roll since losing his first two professional fights. He's on a 10-fight winning streak after the victory against Singh. Nate and Nathan weren't the only SBG Ireland standouts to earn impressive victories in Belfast. Ciaran Clarke remains undefeated after a third-round submission of Darius Mafi.

But, SBG Ireland light heavyweight Karl Moore fell short in the Belfast headliner, falling to Corey Anderson for the light heavyweight title. The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak.

The co-main event featured Bellator featherweight titleholder Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire rallying to earn a TKO finish of Jeremy Kennedy. He got back in the win column after back-to-back losses, including a bantamweight title loss to Sergio Pettis at Bellator 297. Bellator Champions Series Belfast kicked off the new era for Bellator after PFL's purchase in 2023. The reimagined Bellator returns to action in Paris on May 17.

Many Bellator fighters will compete in the upcoming PFL league season. This includes Liz Carmouche and Juliana Velasquez, who will settle their flyweight trilogy to kick off the PFL women's flyweight season.

Nathan and Nate both competed in PFL Europe before featuring at Bellator Champions Series Belfast. As of this writing, it's uncertain if they intend to return to PFL Europe or continue in the Bellator format. Nathan and Nate could be key players for the PFL and Bellator moving forward. Elite grapplers by trade, they could be on the rise in their respective weight classes.

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