Bellator 175's Emmanuel Sanchez would take a 'Bellator: NYC' slot if one is available

CHICAGO — Bellator featherweight Emmanuel Sanchez has ex-bantamweight champion Marcos Galvao to take care of at Bellator 175 on Friday.

But if there was a spot open at Bellator 180, the Viacom-owned promotion’s glitzy debut at Madison Square Garden, he’d take it.

“You never know,” Sanchez told MMAjunkie at a media day for Friday’s Spike-televised Bellator 175 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. “I know they’re looking to fill it up more. And I knew that’s what I wanted to do – ‘Rumble in the Bronx,’ but also ‘Rumble in Madison Square Garden.’

“So obviously, take care of Marcos, come out victorious, and look for the big ones next.”

Sanchez (14-3 MMA, 6-2 BMMA) is predicting a first or second-round TKO of Galvao (18-7-1 MMA, 9-4 BMMA), which might convince Bellator to at least consider him for the last pay-per-view slot at the June 24 event. But he’d no doubt settle for any chance to leave the judges out of it; he’s gone to the scorecards in his past seven fights.

In his previous bout, he got back to the win column with a decision over Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 170, one of the promotion’s “tentpole” events.

Sanchez needs bigger stages to take his career to the next level. Losses against ex-champ Pat Curran and Daniel Weichel have depressed his upward momentum, so a win over an ex-champ is just what he needs to get in the title picture.

After missing weight on Thursday, coming in 3.5 pounds over for the featherweight bout, he also needs to mind his waistline if he’s going to get a golden opportunity.

Check out the above video for more from Sanchez.

And for more on Bellator 175, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.