Bellator has added a title fight to its upcoming event in St. Louis.
Patricio Freire, who tapped Daniel Straus to defend the Bellator featherweight title for the first time in January, puts his belt on the line in a rematch against Georgi Karakhanyan at Bellator 138 on June 19. Sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMAFighting.com.
Freire and Karakhanyan fought for the first time at Bellator 37 in 2011. “Pitbull” advanced to the season four featherweight tournament semifinal with a third-round knockout, eventually winning the whole tournament with victories over Straus and Wilson Reis.
Freire (23-2) failed to capture the belt after winning that tournament, but earned another shot at the belt after scoring four straight wins, defeating Pat Curran to become the 145-pound champion in 2014. The Brazilian enters Bellator 138 riding a six-fight winning streak with four stoppages.
Karakhanyan (24-4-1) left Bellator after his loss to Freire in 2011, and won 10 out of 11 bouts since. Before returning to the promotion, Karakhanyan won the WSOF featherweight title with a submission victory over Lance Palmer, but ended up losing the title to Rick Glenn. Karakhanyan re-signed with Bellator in 2014, and choked out Bubba Jenkins in January.
Headlined by a heavyweight clash between Kimbo Slice and Ken Shamrock, Bellator 138 takes place at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri. The event will also feature the return of lightweight champion Michael Chandler against Derek Campos.