Pedro Carvalho rediscovers love for MMA ahead of PFL Belfast
The Bellator MMA veteran will take another swing at his first Professional Fighters League win when he meets Sergio Cossio in a catchweight showcase on Thursday in Northern Ireland.
A familiar face on the European mixed martial arts scene since he was a teenager, Portugal’s Pedro Carvalho remains best known to fans around the globe for his 11-fight stint in Bellator MMA . “The Game” takes another swing at his first Professional Fighters League win when he meets Sergio Cossio in a PFL Belfast catchweight showcase on Thursday at the SSE Arena in Northern Ireland. Their confrontation will be contested at 165 pounds.
Carvalho seemed to peak in Bellator. Wins over Daniel Crawford and Luca Vitali were followed by a first-round technical knockout of Derek Campos and a face crank submission of Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran Sam Sicilia . By the time he earned a title shot against then-champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in 2020, Carvalho was on a six-fight winning streak.
After a knockout loss to Freire, victories over Daniel Weichel and Mads Burnell were offset by losses to Jay-Jay Wilson , Piotr Niedzielski , Jeremy Kennedy and Aaron Pico . Carvalho’s luck did not improve once he was brought into the PFL fold. Controversial defeats to Brendan Loughnane and Kai Kamaka II led to a feeling of unease.
Nevertheless, Carvalho looked within to find the silver linings. A high-stakes lightweight clash headlines PFL Belfast: Tune in Thursday, April 16 at 7 p. m.