The Bellator 276 headliner between Adam Borics and Mads Burnell was billed as a No. 1 contender’s bout, and both men fought with those stakes in mind.
Ultimately, Borics battled his way through five rounds of back-and-forth standup with Burnell to capture a hard-fought unanimous decision triumph. It was the fourth straight victory and ninth in 10 Bellator appearances overall for the 28-year-old Hungarian, who believes he proved that he is capable of challenging for featherweight gold.
“It was a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it,” Borics said at Saturday’s post-fight press conference. “It makes me confident after five rounds. I wasn’t tired, and it was a high pace. A lot of people were talking about I can’t go a high pace, and I think I showed everyone I’m ready for the title. I can do five rounds easy, so let’s go.”
Borics had success landing multi-punch combinations to the head and leg kicks. He even dropped Burnell with a right hook late in the second round, though he was never close to achieving a finish.
“I thought I could finish him, but he’s a tough dude. Did you see his left or right eye? He ate a lot of shots, he ate a lot of knees, he’s a tough dude,” Borics said. “I am happy. I showed I’m a (well-rounded) MMA fighter. My wrestling defense is so much better. I could take him down. I am so happy with my performance.”
It appears that Borics will need some time to heal. He was seen visibly limping leaving the cage and as he took his seat at the post-fight press conference.
“It’s horrible,” Borics said. “I thought if I could kick one more or two more calf kicks, he’s done – but I couldn’t kick. I think I broke my foot. He’s a tough dude, man.”
A.J.McKee and Patricio Freire are scheduled to rematch for the featherwight title at Bellator 277 on April 15. Borics is confident that he’ll be ready to face the winner later in 2022.
“Second part of the year, I’m ready,” Borics. “They’re fighting in April, and after that, they need the rest – like two, three months, also. So I will be ready.”
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