The rivalry between Michael Chandler and the Freire brothers, Patricio Freire and Patricky Freire, goes way back to their time at Bellator FC. Patricky ‘Pitbull’ has fought ‘Iron’ twice and both times, he faced an ugly defeat. That was probably the reason why Patricio ‘Pitbull’ wanted to fight Chandler. It was indeed a revenge story, and he did manage to defeat ‘Iron’ back at Bellator 221. And when he found his way to the UFC, the fighting community believed that the rivalry between Chandler and Patricio Freire would continue. However, the #7 lightweight contender has no intention of continuing their rivalry.
Prior to his fight against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 314, Chandler appeared in an interview with Shak MMA. Therein, the 38-year-old fighter addressed the rivalry he shared with ‘Pitbull’. He said, “I wish him the best in the UFC. I want him to come over and do well. He’s a 145er, I’m a 155er. I have no interest in fighting Patricio Pitbull, but it will be interesting to share the same card with him.” Of course, this was in reference to Freire’s entry into the UFC as a featherweight contender.
On top of that, Chandler seemed ready to apologize and bury the hatchet with ‘Pitbull’. He continued, “When I do see him, I will shake his hand respectfully. I might even apologize for the miscommunications in the past. Let’s let bygones be bygones. You don’t need to spend any of your energy on me. Focus on trying to become the UFC featherweight champion.”
While Michael Chandler was ready to let all past disputes go, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ wanted to go up against ‘Iron’ once again. Well, it was his call despite the fact that the duo now fight at different weight categories. Let’s take a look at what the younger Freire brother had to say about fighting Chandler.
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire wants to take on Michael Chandler inside the Octagon
Back in 2019, ‘Pitbull’ clashed against Chandler to exact revenge for his brother. And he succeeded in his quest by knocking Chandler out within the first minute of their fight. That was the bout which proved Freire’s strength and made him a two-division champion at Bellator FC. And when he came to the thought of fighting ‘Iron’ once again, ‘Pitbull’ didn’t back down. Talking about meeting Chandler in Miami, he said, “I’ll always have the desire to beat him. I’ll respect him, of course. We’re athletes. I have respect. After the knockout, I went there to shake his hand and everything. But my desire to fight him will continue until we’re grampas.”
Nevertheless, Freire seemed ready to conquer the featherweight realm. Debuting in the UFC at the age of 37 is tough, but ‘Pitbull’ didn’t mind. He promised to take the featherweight championship belt to Brazil soon enough. And it doesn’t matter who stands in front of him. He seemed ready to take on everyone. He said, “Nothing is keeping me from moving up and fighting anyone. If it’s him (Chandler), even better. Every chance I have to beat him, I’ll take it.” The former Bellator double division champion even admitted that he was willing to move up in the weight class if the prize was good enough.
But first, he needed to win his debut battle against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314. Yes, that’s the same card as Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett. Beating the #5 featherweight contender would actually put Freire in the top 15 featherweight list. And thereafter, he can continue to rise and fight Diego Lopes, Alexander Volkanovski, or even Max Holloway. It simply didn’t matter to him, except that the fight should help him climb higher in the rankings.
What do you think of Chandler’s response to his rivalry with Freire? Do you think he should fight ‘Pitbull’ at least once in the UFC? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.
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