5 Defining Moments: Daniel Weichel

Daniel Weichel may never reach the top of the Bellator MMA mountain, but he serves as a consistent presence in the company’s ultra-competitive featherweight division.

The longtime Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt look to move up in the 145-pound line when he meets former Cage Warriors Fighting Championship titleholder Mads Burnell in a featured Bellator 299 attraction on Saturday at 3Arena in Dublin. Weichel, 38, has compiled an 11-6 record across his 17 appearances in the Scott Coker-led promotion. He last competed at Bellator 288, where he dropped a unanimous decision to Timur Khizriev in their three-round confrontation on Nov. 18.

As Weichel approaches his showdown with Burnell in Ireland, a look at five of the many moments that have come to define him:

1. Golden Corral

Weichel captured the M-1 Global lightweight championship on Nov. 20, 2011, when he punched out Jose Figueroa in the first round of their encounter at Olympic Stadium in Moscow. The end came 1:50 into Round 1. The American Top Team-trained Figueroa tried to exploit his considerable height and reach advantages during their initial standup exchanges. Those efforts ultimately failed. The savvy Weichel closed the distance without issue and floored the Floridan with a right hook. More punches on the defenseless Figueroa followed, prompting referee Marco Broersen to intervene. Weichel remains one of only nine men to have held gold in M-1 Global at 155 pounds.

2. Out on a Limb

Musa Khamanaev laid claim to the M-1 Global lightweight crown when he submitted Weichel with a heel hook in the first round of their June 21, 2012 pairing at the Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia. The Chechen brought it to a close 1:48 into Round 1. Khamanaev followed an overhand right into a takedown inside the first 30 seconds. After referee Keith Peterson repositioned the two men away from the ropes, the challenger went to work in full guard. Weichel swept into top position under threat of an omoplata and briefly advanced to the back before his adversary escaped to his feet. Khamanev hovered over him, connected with a punishing standing-to-ground right and settled in guard once more. He then isolated the left leg and wrenched on the foot, as Weichel cried out in agony before conceding defeat. He did not fight again for more than a year.

3. Final Boss

Weichel dispatched Desmond Green with a second-round rear-naked choke in the Bellator MMA Season 10 featherweight tournament final served as the Bellator 119 headliner on May 9, 2014 at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. Green conceded defeat 2:07 into Round 2. After a relatively even opening frame, Weichel went about the business of dismantling his opponent. The German submission specialist wobbled Green with right hands, sprawled out of a desperate takedown attempt and moved to the Team Bombsquad product’s back. From there, he secured his hooks, cinched the choke and elicited the tapout. It was Weichel’s 10th win via rear-naked choke.

4. Plenty of Bite

Patricio Freire retained the undisputed Bellator MMA featherweight champion when he knocked out Weichel in the second round of their Bellator 138 co-main event on June 19, 2015 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. “Pitbull” drew the curtain 32 seconds into Round 2. Weichel took his best hacks, and it nearly paid off for him. The Team MMA Spirit rep had Freire reeling near the end of the first round, where he sent a sizzling straight right crashing into his face and followed it with a knee. The bell sounded and prevented further punishment, and despite suffering significant damage to his left eye, the resilient champion managed to recover between rounds. In his haste to finish what he had started moments before, an overzealous Weichel marched toward the Brazilian dynamo and walked into a devastating left hook. The concussive impact sent him to the canvas and brought an immediate end to their encounter.

5. Not So Grand

Roufusport’s Emmanuel Sanchez outpointed Weichel to a unanimous decision when their five-round featherweight grand prix quarterfinal helped anchor Bellator 252 on Nov. 12, 2020 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Scores were 48-46, 49-46 and 49-45. Sanchez—who avenged a July 2016 defeat to the Team MMA Spirit product—overwhelmed his counterpart with crowding pressure and a heavy focus on knees, punches and kicks to the body. He landed the decisive blow of the rematch in the second round, where he sat down Weichel with a savage left hook to the liver. Sanchez flurried with unanswered punches as the German’s brain tried to restart his engine, and though the finish failed to materialize, the tone was essentially set. The Duke Roufus protege kept his foot on the accelerator across the final three rounds, leaned on damaging leg kicks and stymied Weichel with non-stop activity at range and in close quarters.