Bellator 241 free fight: Patricio Freire reclaims featherweight title

Patricio Freire was left devastated at Bellator 145 when he was edged out on the scorecards by Daniel Straus and lost the featherweight title.

But when “Pitbull” was handed the chance to avenge that defeat in a rematch  17 months later at Bellator 178 – their fourth meeting inside the Bellator cage – he made sure he left no doubt. He reclaimed the title in style at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Freire and Straus played out a relatively cagey opening round, but the action kicked up a gear in Round 2 with “Pitbull” throwing heavy shots and Straus looking to close the distance and secure a takedown.

It was during one of those takedown attempts that the bout reached its climax. Straus went for a double-leg, but Freire stuffed the attempt. Rather than look to separate, the Brazilian controlled the American’s head, then locked up a tight guillotine and leaped into the air to pull the action down to the mat and tighten the hold.

Straus knew the game was up and tapped almost immediately upon landing as Freire secured the submission victory to reclaim the featherweight strap.

“Pitbull” hasn’t lost a fight since. He has reeled off a trio of title defenses with victories over Daniel Weichel, Emmanuel Sanchez and Juan Archuleta, while adding the lightweight title to his collection with a 61-second knockout of Michael Chandler.

Now Freire (30-4 MMA, 18-4 BMMA) returns to Mohegan Sun Arena for his latest title defense when he takes on Ireland-based Portuguese contender Pedro Carvalho (11-3 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) in the quarterfinals of the Bellator featherweight grand prix at Bellator 241 on March 13. The main card streams live on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

Ahead of that bout, check out “Pitbull’s” title-winning performance against Straus in the video above.