Patricio Freire won Bellator’s last featherweight tournament, but he will have to wait a little longer for his shot at the championship belt.
Bellator announced on Monday that former champion Pat Curran will have an immediate rematch against Daniel Straus on March 14, and “Pitbull” is not happy with that decision.
“That whole ‘where the title shots are earned, not given’ is pure bulls–t now. That doesn’t exist anymore,” Freire told MMAFighting.com. “Bellator is eating its own words. They didn’t respect my wins in the tournament.”
“Pitbull” fought for the 145-pound title at Bellator 85 and lost to Curran via split decision. He still feels he won the fight and asked for a rematch, but Bellator decided it wasn’t close enough. Four wins later, the Brazilian has earned another shot at the gold, but first Curran will have his chance to regain the title at Bellator 112.
“I had a close fight against Curran last January. His win wasn’t clear, it was a close split decision, and I didn’t have another shot at the title,” he said. “They made me go back to the tournament, and I would only fight for the title again if I won the tournament.
“I went back to the tournament and beat up everybody. I respect everybody, but I beat them all convincingly. But when I earned my shot at the title, they give Curran another one. They must be kidding me.”
Straus defeated Curran via unanimous decision last November, and “Pitbull”, a two-time tournament winner, doesn’t think Curran deserves an immediate rematch.
“If Straus vs. Curran was a close fight, a fight that everybody agreed should have a rematch, I would just shut up and wait,” he said. “But that’s not the case. It wasn’t close. Straus clearly won. Curran even landed an illegal knee, and then Straus beat him up. Total domination.
“You can’t say anything about it. It wasn’t even close. Straus won and is the f–king champion. Curran does not deserve a rematch. Curran is (Bellator’s) little boy. I hope Straus beats him up. I want Straus to destroy him inside the cage.”
“Pitbull” went 4-1 in 2013, and he won’t step inside the cage until Bellator gives him a shot at the featherweight title.
“I won’t fight again. I will wait for my shot at the title to shut Bellator up,” he said. “Whoever has the title, I’ll beat with a knockout. Nobody will take this away from me. I will get the title with a knockout.”