Looking at Bellator’s official featherweight rankings, it’s not hard to see the stakes of this week’s Bellator 276 headliner.
Adam Borics and Mads Burnell each enter the main event sitting at No. 2 on the promotion’s 145-pound list, and it seems almost certain the winner will get a title shot against whoever emerges as champion from next month’s A.J. McKee vs. Patricio Freire rematch.
Hungary’s Borics says he hasn’t been promised anything by the promotion but agrees with that assessment.
“I don’t know the other side, but for me, yes,” Borics told The Underground. “Who should I fight next? You know, like, I’ve fought everybody.”
Borics last fought in April, scoring a decision win over current No. 7 Jeremy Kennedy. He also owns a 2019 win over current No. 4 Aaron Pico. Already sitting at No. 2, a win over the man currently tied with him in that spot would certainly seem to warrant a shot at the belt.
First, though, there’s the small matter of Saturday night.
Borics (17-1 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and Burnell (16-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) meet in the main event of Bellator 276, which airs live on Showtime from Family Arena in St. Charles, Mo. For Borics, it will mark a return from an 11-month layoff after a planned August clash with Jay Jay Wilson fell apart at the last minute.
Borics said he’s used that time at Sanford MMA to keep rounding out his skills.
“Just get better every day, you know? Try to control what I can,” Borics said. “I learned that in the last couple of months because I couldn’t control those things – you know, who I should fight, when. I was just trying my best to get better (as a) martial artist every day.”
Borics has spent the last four years on the Bellator roster, slowly working his way up the rankings. Meanwhile, Burnell has competed just three times under the promotion’s banner but already finds himself in a headlining role. Borics has seen the work that Burnell has put in with other promotions such as the UFC and Cage Warriors and knows he’ll provide a stern test.
“He’s very underestimated,” Borics said. “He’s a great fighter, you know? I think it’s a good matchup for me. Who should I fight if not against the high, high-level guys? So I’m just happy I can fight, finally, and I really want to show my skillset. I’ve improved a lot.”
Borics says he expects McKee to prevail over “Pitbull” in their April rematch, so a Saturday win would seem likely to earn him a future showdown with the undefeated reigning champion.
But Borics says he’s not giving that possibility even one moment of his focus for now. It’s a lesson he learned the hard way in his lone career defeat, suffering a grand prix loss in 2020 to Darrion Caldwell that he admits was likely fueled, at least in part, by him looking ahead in the tournament bracket rather than staying entirely centered on the task at hand.
“I have the Mads Burnell fight, so I have to focus on him,” Borics said. “The one time when I lost in my life, I did a mistake. When I fought against Caldwell, I was already thinking about, ‘next round, I fight A.J.,’ so it was a big mistake. I don’t want to do that again.”
With that singular focus in mind, Borics believes he’s ready to turn in a performance that will leave no doubt that his next fight should be for the title. On a busy weekend in MMA that sees many of the sport’s top promotions in action, he thinks it’s imperative you not miss his Bellator 267 headliner.
“‘The Kid’ is coming back!” Borics exclaimed. “Don’t miss it.”
To see the full interview with Borics, check out the video above.
