Bellator 270: Peter Queally vs. Patricky Pitbull upgraded to lightweight title bout

Bellator’s upcoming visit to Dublin has a new main event, with an Irish star set to fight for championship gold.

The eagerly-anticipated lightweight rematch between rival contenders Peter Queally and Patricky Pitbull was originally booked as a three-round co-main event bout, but recent events have caused the bout to be elevated to a title fight.

Irish lightweight contender Queally had previously called for their bout to be upgraded to a five-round matchup, and “The Showstopper” has been granted his wish, and then some.

Following the news that Pitbull’s brother, former two-division champion Patricio, had opted to relinquish the lightweight title in a bid to focus on reclaiming the featherweight title he recently lost to A.J. McKee, it meant the 155-pound title was left vacant.

Bellator president Scott Coker wasted no time in reacting to the decision, as he appeared on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani to confirm the promotion’s next move as he confirmed that the Queally-Pitbull rematch will now be contested over five rounds, with the vacant lightweight title on the line.

.@PatricioPitbull joins @scottcoker and @arielhelwani to call for a rematch with #Bellator featherweight champ @ajmckee101:

"I think that fight was stopped early."

▶️ WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/soOXdoTMV2 pic.twitter.com/yy2R0msyQe

— MMAFighting.com (@MMAFighting) October 6, 2021

Departing champion Patricio tweeted to confirm his decision to vacate the title, and lent his support to his brother in his attempt to capture the vacant belt.

“Honor and family come first,” he wrote.

“When I first won the LW belt it was just about revenge. It was still an honor, but with the loss at 145 I’m starting over.

“It’s time for the LW division to move on and for @PatrickyPitbull to have his shot. My focus is on AJ and him only.”

Honor and family come first. When I first won the LW belt it was just about revenge. It was still an honor, but with the loss at 145 I’m starting over. It’s time for the LW division to move on and for @PatrickyPitbull to have his shot. My focus is on AJ and him only. #TheMMAHour

— Patricio Pitbull (@PatricioPitbull) October 6, 2021

The bout was also promoted to the top of the fight card, with the event’s original headliner, a bantamweight clash between fellow contenders James Gallagher and Patchy Mix, now set to go ahead as the co-main event.

The matchup will see Queally (13-5-1) and Pitbull (23-10) face off for the second time after Queally took the victory in their first meeting when Pitbull was stopped by the doctor due to a cut at the end of the second round at Bellator 258 in Connecticut.

Now the pair will meet again, with the stakes raised to the highest level, with the ultimate prize, the lightweight title, up for grabs.

Elsewhere on the card, Irish middleweight Charlie Ward is awaiting a new opponent after his opposite number, Norbert Novenyi Jr, was ruled out of the event after tearing his ACL during training.

Queally isn’t the only Irish fighter set to compete for Bellator gold. It was also confirmed that Sinead Kavanagh will challenge Cris Cyborg for the Bellator women’s featherweight title in the main event of Bellator 271 on Friday, November 12 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.