On Wednesday, it was announced that Bellator lightweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire had vacated his belt and that his brother Patricky will rematch Peter Queally on November 5 for the vacant title.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is no longer a Bellator champion. The reigning lightweight champ announced on Wednesday that he has vacated the title so as to not get in the way of his brother’s title aspirations. Freire said he is focused on regaining the featherweight title from AJ McKee, whom he lost to in late July. Meanwhile, Freire’s brother Patricky will now fight Peter Queally for the vacant title on November 5.
Honor and family come first. When I first won the LW belt it was just about revenge. It was still an honor, but with the loss at 145 I’m starting over. It’s time for the LW division to move on and for @PatrickyPitbull to have his shot. My focus is on AJ and him only. #TheMMAHour
— Patricio Pitbull (@PatricioPitbull) October 6, 2021
Bellator President Scott Coker confirmed the news on Wednesday’s episode of The MMA Hour.
Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (23-10) is the older brother of Patricio and has been in Bellator since 2011 where he debuted in Season 4 of their lightweight tournament. During his tenure in the promotion, Freire has been a perennial contender who has fought former champions Michael Chandler (twice) and Eddie Alvarez during his run. Recently, he had turned a corner and put together a career best seven fight win-streak that was snapped by Tofiq Musayez in the RIZIN Lightweight Grand Prix Final. In Freire’s return to Bellator, he lost to Queally in May due to a cut suffered before the second round.
Peter Queally (13-5-1) will have the home field advantage fighting in front of his home country in Dublin. Fighting mostly in his native Europe, Queally made his Bellator debut in 2019 and has gone 2-1 in the promotion including the doctor’s stoppage victory in May.
The event will also feature previously scheduled bantamweight showcase between James Gallagher and Patchy Mix. The event will take place at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland.
