Patricio Freire Vacates LW Title; Peter Queally, Patricky Freire to Vie for Belt at Bellator 270

The stakes have been raised for the Peter Queally-Patricky Freire rematch at Bellator 270.

Bellator president Scott Coker announced during "The MMA Hour." on Wednesday that Patricio Freire has vacated the lightweight belt, which he has not defended since stopping Michael Chandler in 61 seconds at Bellator 221 in May 2019. As a result, Queally vs. Freire will be for the vacant 155-pound championship.

Patricio Freire addressed the situation shortly thereafter on Twitter. The younger “Pitbull” brother was a two-division champion before losing his featherweight crown to A.J. McKee at Bellator 263 this past July. For now, his focus is on regaining that title, while allowing his brother to have his own golden opportunity.

“Honor and family come first,” he wrote. “When I first won the LW belt it was just about revenge. It was still an honor, but with the loss at 145 I’m starting over. It’s time for the LW division to move on and for [Patricky Freire] to have his shot. My focus is on A.J. and him only.”

Honor and family come first. When I first won the LW belt it was just about revenge. It was still an honor, but with the loss at 145 I’m starting over. It’s time for the LW division to move on and for @PatrickyPitbull to have his shot. My focus is on AJ and him only. #TheMMAHour

— Patricio Pitbull (@PatricioPitbull) October 6, 2021

Bellator 270 takes place on Nov. 5 at 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland and is headlined by the Queally-Freire title tilt. The card will air on Showtime. The event was previously topped by a bantamweight clash pitting James Gallagher against Patrick Mix.

Queally and Freire initially fought at Bellator 258 on May 7. Queally opened a cut on his opponent’s head with a slashing elbow from the bottom position, which prompted the cageside physician to wave off the bout prior to Round 3. Anchored at SBG Ireland, the 32-year-old Queally has been victorious in three of his last four professional outings.

Freire has now lost two straight fights including a decision defeat to Tofiq Musayev in the finals of the Rizin lightweight grand prix in December 2019. Before that skid, the 35-year-old Brazilian had won seven consecutive bouts, with victories over the likes of Tatsuya Kawajiri, Roger Huerta, Benson Henderson and Josh Thomson.