CHICAGO – Patricio Freire attempted something historic and came up short.
While Bellator president Scott Coker appreciates Freire’s crack at gold in a third weight division, he thinks it’s best “Pitbull” returns back to where he’s found the most success throughout his career.
“The one thing with Patricio is we have to sit down and have a conversation,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Are you going to stay at 135? Do you want to go back to your normal weight at 145? He might feel more comfortable at 145. Maybe that’s where he should be. If he fights at 135, he’s going to run into speed all the time. So maybe he’ll be better off at 145.
Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) dropped to bantamweight for the first time at Bellator 297 when he lost a unanimous decision to Sergio Pettis (23-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) in the main event Friday at Winstar Arena. Had Freire won, he would be the first three-weight world champion to hold titles in the same promotion.
Ultimately, Coker said Freire will be able to choose his own destiny, especially considering he’s the longest-tenured fighter on the promotion’s roster – a part of the company since Bellator 15 in April 2010.
“I can tell you what I think, which is he should go up to 145,” Coker said. “These young kids are coming up. Speed kills and they’re super fast. To me, you’ve been so dominant at 145. Let somebody come up to your weight and test you out and see how it works for them. Again, he’s one of the fighters in this company we’ll always sit down and listen to, because he deserves that respect. He’s been around a long time. He’s been around for so much, we’re going to give him that conversation when the time comes. We’ll let him tell us what he wants to do, then say our input, then figure it out.”
Should Freire choose featherweight, there’s one fight in particular that Coker finds intriguing whether it happens now or later.
“Listen, it’s no secret. I’d love to have him fight Aaron Pico at some point in the 145-pound weight class,” Coker said.
Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) fights Sept. 23 at Bellator 299 against Pedro Carvalho. He most recently competed in April when he defeated James Gonzalez by unanimous decision.
The current Bellator featherweight champion, Freire had a three-fight winning streak snapped with the defeat Friday.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.
