Lightweight Belt Not a ‘Priority’ for Patricio Freire, Would Vacate to Give Brother Title Shot

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Patricio Freire wants to eventually defend the Bellator lightweight championship he won a little more than a year ago, but at the same time, the 155-pound belt is not his first priority.

The two-division titlist is focused on the promotion’s featherweight grand prix, which was halted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Pitbull” was scheduled to face Pedro Carvalho in a quarterfinal matchup, but Bellator 241 was canceled on the day of the event due to concerns regarding the outbreak. The organization is reportedly looking into holding closed-door events on property owned by Paramount or CBS as soon as July, but nothing has been announced.

“I want to be on the first show,” Freire told Sherdog.com through a translator. “I think that the tournament needs to move on, and it would be necessary to have those fights soon.”

As it stands, the Freire-Carvalho winner would face the winner of the quarterfinal clash between Daniel Weichel and Emmanuel Sanchez, which was also set for Bellator 241. A semifinal matchup between A.J. McKee and Darrion Caldwell was slated for June 6 in Chicago, but that event was also scrapped due to the coronavirus.

Freire is well aware of the popular choice for the grand prix finals, but he doesn’t have a preferred path through the tournament.

“To me it doesn’t make a difference, really. I want to take on every one of them,” he said. “The order doesn’t really matter. The public, from what I’ve been seeing, they have a preference to see me fight A.J. McKee. But I want to face all of them.”

While there is plenty left to decide in the 145-pound bracket, Freire now also rules over the lightweight division after stopping Michael Chandler in 61 seconds at Bellator 221. Freire believes Chandler and Benson Henderson, who were scheduled to meet at Bellator 244 on June 6, could be fighting for the No. 1 contender spot when their bout is rebooked. But he also thinks his older brother, Patricky Freire, deserves to be in the mix.

“Michael Chandler is going to fight Ben Henderson soon, and the winner of that fight could end up being my opponent,” Patricio said. “But we also have my brother in the wings. He’s still on one of the biggest winning streaks in the lightweight division in Bellator right now because his [most recent] loss was in Rizin, so it shouldn’t affect his place in Bellator right now. And I thought he won that fight. They have to figure it out among the three of them who’s next in line.”

Patricky Freire came up short in the finals of Rizin’s lightweight grand prix on New Year’s Eve, dropping a unanimous verdict against Tofiq Musayev. Prior to that, the elder “Pitbull” brother had been on a seven-fight winning streak that included five triumphs under the Bellator banner. Patricky was booked to face Peter Queally in Dublin on Oct. 3, but that matchup remains tentative due to the ongoing pandemic.

If Bellator were to anoint Patricky as the No. 1 contender, Patricio wouldn’t have to think too hard about his next move in regards to the lightweight title.

“The belt wasn’t really something that I was looking for,” Patricio said. “All I wanted was Michael Chandler’s head on my case at home, and I already have it. If Bellator comes to me saying Patricky will be next to fight for the belt, I will vacate it and let them figure that out. Of course I want to defend, but it isn’t my priority and if it’s for my brother, I have no problem doing that.”

Chandler could remove himself from title consideration regardless of the result of his next Bellator appearance. The former University of Missouri wrestler is on the last fight of his contract and recently expressed a desire to test the free-agent market. That is just fine with Patricio, who proved what he needed to against the ex-champ.

“I heard he mentioned about going to One [Championship] and having a third fight against Eddie Alvarez,” Patricio said. “So, f—k him.”

As for Henderson, Patricio isn’t especially concerned with avenging a loss to the former UFC lightweight king. The 32-year-old Brazilian appeared to be winning his clash with “Smooth” when a leg injury resulted in a TKO loss at the 2:26 mark of Round 2 in their Bellator 160 encounter.

“This is an opportunity that Ben Henderson wants… It’s just like if I was in a bicycle race and I was about to cross the finish line as the first guy and had a flat tire and someone passed me. That’s how I see it, an accident,” Patricio said.

“If we fight, I’m just going to continue where we left off and confirm my win. He’s a good fighter. He’s a good person, nothing bad to say about him. He deserves that fight. He’s on a good winning streak. If Bellator presents that opportunity, let’s do it and I would be glad to finish what I started back then.”