History will be made at Bellator 274. For the first time since it was founded in 2008, the main event will not have a title on the line or be part of a grand prix tournament to determine a champion. Welterweights Neiman Gracie and Logan Storley will be the headliners for this promotion in a card that has some interesting fights. Fellow welterweights Andrey Koreshkov and Mukhamed Berkhamov will also square off, and Georgi Karakhanyan will take on Adam Piccolotti.
Neiman Gracie vs. Logan Storley
The Gracie Family are royalty in the MMA world. Helio Gracie, Royce Gracie and numerous other Gracies have been heralded for their mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and Neiman Gracie comes from the most prestigious pedigree in combat sports. Gracie is looking to make a name for himself, and he is currently ranked No. 4 in the Bellator Welterweight Rankings.
Logan Storley might not have the same background as his opponent, but he was extremely impressive as a collegiate wrestler. Storley was a four-time All-American at the University of Minnesota, and he won third place at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in 2014.
Considering his wrestling background, you would think that Storley would be a submission expert. However, he has showcased a surprising amount of power and eight of his 12 wins have come by knockout. His other four victories have come by decision, and he has yet to submit an opponent. Storley’s last two bouts could have gone either way, and he lost a split decision at Bellator 252 and won a split decision at Bellator 265.
Gracie is a submission specialist. Nine of his 11 victories have come by submission, and he didn’t secure his first knockout until his most recent fight in September. He doesn’t want this fight to go the distance as his only two losses came by decision.
Andrey Koreshkov vs. Mukhamed Berkhamov
Former Bellator Welterweight World Champion Andrey Koreshkov is looking to climb the ladder and take back the title once again. Koreshkov won the title with a unanimous decision victory over Douglas Lima at Bellator 140, and he successfully defended the title with a unanimous decision win over Benson Henderson nine months later. Unfortunately, he lost the title to Lima in a rematch at Bellator 164, and Koreshkov fell to Lima again at Bellator 206.
Mukhamed Berkhamov has yet to lose in his professional career. He is 14-0 coming into this fight with nine of his wins coming by submission. This is just his second fight with Bellator though, and it’s only his third fight since August 2017. That leaves a lot of unknowns coming into this bout.
Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Adam Piccolotti
We have seen Georgi Karakhanyan win featherweight titles in multiple promotions. Karakhanyan has not been great during his seven years with Bellator though. His record in Bellator is 7-8, and he has been unable to break through in the way that he was hoping after claiming belts in the TPF and WSOF.
Adam Piccolotti has had more success in Bellator. He is 8-4 since signing up with Bellator over six years ago, and three of his four losses came by decision. Piccolotti might be close to taking his game to the next level too, as his two most recent defeats came by split decision to former champions Benson Henderson and Sidney Outlaw.