Bellator champion ‘Pitbull’ Freire undergoes surgery, eyes November return against Georgi Karakhanyan

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire went under the knife on Thursday night.

The Brazilian fighter, who stopped Daniel Weichel in June to successfully defend his featherweight title for the second time, spoke with MMAFighting.com right after the surgery, explaining he had just repaired a deviated septum.

Freire’s team posted no Instagram that the champion was “basically been breathing only through his mouth for more than a year”.

Expecting an “enormous improvement” after the nose surgery, “Pitbull” told MMAFighting.com he expects to enter the cage around November against Georgi Karakhanyan, but contracts are yet to be signed.

Karakhanyan (24-4-1) was scheduled to challenge Freire for the title at Bellator 138, but was forced out due to a knee injury. A former WSOF 145-pound champion, Karakhanyan, went 2-2 in his first run under the Bellator banner in 2010-11, including a third-round knockout loss to Freire.

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Freire went under the knife on Thursday night.

The Brazilian fighter, who stopped Daniel Weichel in June to successfully defend his featherweight title for the second time, spoke with MMAFighting.com right after the surgery, explaining he had just repaired a deviated septum.

Freire’s team posted no Instagram that the champion was “basically been breathing only through his mouth for more than a year”.

Expecting an “enormous improvement” after the nose surgery, “Pitbull” told MMAFighting.com he expects to enter the cage around November against Georgi Karakhanyan, but contracts are yet to be signed.

Karakhanyan (24-4-1) was scheduled to challenge Freire for the title at Bellator 138, but was forced out due to a knee injury. A former WSOF 145-pound champion, Karakhanyan, went 2-2 in his first run under the Bellator banner in 2010-11, including a third-round knockout loss to Freire.