MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the Bellator’s top bouts. Today, we look at the co-main event for Bellator 241.

Bellator 241 takes place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Daniel Weichel (40-11 MMA, 9-3 BMMA)

Staple info:

• Height: 5’10” Age: 35 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 71″
• Last fight: Decision win over Saul Rogers (Sept. 28, 2019)
• Camp: MMA Spirit (Germany)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Good

Supplemental info:

+ M-1 Global lightweight title
+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ 5 KO victories
+ 22 submission wins
+ 20 first-round finishes
+ Consistent pace and pressure
+ Solid feints and footwork
+ Fundamentally sound striker
^ Seldom out of position
+ Strong inside of the clinch
+ Serviceable wrestling ability
+ Good transitional grappler
+ Excellent submission acumen

Emmanuel Sanchez (19-4 MMA, 11-3 BMMA)

Staple info:

• Height: 5’9″ Age: 29 Weight: 145 lbs. Reach: 76″
• Last fight: Submission win over Tywan Claxton (Sept. 7, 2019)
• Camp: Roufusport (Milwaukee, WI)
• Stance/striking style: Orthodox/kickboxing
• Risk management: Fair

Supplemental info:

+ Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt
+ 1 KO victory
+ 8 submission victories
+ 6 first-round finishes
+ Relentless pace and pressure
^ Improves as the fight wears on
+ Solid combination striker
^ Punctuates well with kicks
+ Excellent transitional grappler
+ Superb scrambler
^ Impeccable improvisation
+ Active and attacking guard
^ Strikes, sweeps, scrambles

Point of interest: Striking the second time around

The co-main event in Uncasville features a fun rematch that takes place within the confines of Bellator’s featherweight grand prix.

In their first meeting, Daniel Weichel was able to edge out Emmanuel Sanchez via well-placed counters and instances of control. Both men have continued to sharpen their tools since then, as I will be curious to see if either adjust their vaunted styles for their second meeting.

Hailing from the Roufusport academy, Sanchez possesses all the well-rounded tools you would suspect to see from that gym, something that further fills the bank of techniques that his combinations draw from. Not afraid to string his punches together, Sanchez will vary his levels of attack, punctuating his presence with weapons that range from switch-kicks to spinning assaults.

The 29-year-old’s talents and vigor only seem to pick to up steam as the fight wears on, however – despite Sanchez’s best efforts to roll his head offline after his attacks – his aggression traditionally tends to make him a bit hittable in the early going, which could be, once again, problematic against a sharpshooter like Weichel.

Despite starting his career as an overly enthusiastic striker who shot sporadically, Weichel has shored up his fundamentals over time and become a sound defensive fighter. The 18-year pro works well behind a high guard, keeping short, jab-cross counters on a hair-trigger.

When feeling in stride, Weichel will punctuate his offensive flurries with hard kicks that range from up high to down low. Still, with Weichel not beyond being countered himself, I will be interested to see if the German fights more or less conservative considering both the high-output opponent and five-round affair that will be in front of him.

Next point of interest: Potential grappling pitfalls