Scott Coker Explains Why Michael Chandler vs. Patricio Freire Isn’t Happening

Bellator president Scott Coker put the kibosh on talks of Michael Chandler vs. Patricio Freire.

Chandler, who is a lightweight, has gotten into a bit of a beef with “Pitbull,” the reigning Bellator featherweight champion. This dates back to June 2016. Chandler knocked out Patricio’s brother Patricky in the first round. Patricio claimed Chandler talked trash to him afterwards and the feud was on.

The issue lies in weight class. Freire is the 145-pound title holder, while Chandler is in lightweight title contention once again. There’s also the possibility that having Freire at lightweight along with his brother could create problems. These issues aren’t lost on Coker.

The Bellator president recently appeared on MMAFighting.com‘s “The MMA Hour” to explain why Chandler vs. Freire is a no-go:

“At the end of the day, we were not interested in putting two brothers in title contention in the same weight class .That’s why we chose to not do it.”

Freire had claimed that he wanted a five-round bout. Instead, he was offered three rounds. In Bellator, only title bouts are five rounds. Chandler is scheduled to take on Brandon Girtz at Bellator 197.

Do you believe Scott Coker will eventually book Michael Chandler vs. Patricio Freire?

Related News

Top Stories

UFC Store

UFC 312: Dricus Du Plessis vs. Sean Strickland 2 Weigh-In Live Stream & Results

UFC 312 takes place tomorrow night, and MMA News is here to bring you...

UFC Legend Dominick Cruz Announces His Retirement After Having Plans For Final Fight Derailed By Injury

Fans won't be seeing legendary former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz back in the...

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Blames Paint Fumes, Injury For UFC Saudi Arabia Loss: ‘I Felt Dizzy’

Jairzinho Rozenstruik has finally spoken out after being cut from the UFC roster. Rozenstruik endured...

Manel Kape Gets New Opponent For UFC Fight Night Main Event After Brandon Royval’s Withdrawal

Manel Kape finds himself facing a new challenger for his UFC Fight Night main...

Sean Strickland Dismisses Staph Infection Speculation Ahead Of UFC 312 Headliner

Ahead of his middleweight title rematch against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312 this...

Daniel Cormier Warns Islam Makhachev Against Potential Middleweight Move

Daniel Cormier has cautioned UFC lightweight kingpin Islam Makhachev against a potential move to...

UFC Analyst: Everyone Falls Off, Israel Adesanya Is No Different

Din Thomas isn’t surprised to see Israel Adesanya on a losing skid at this...

UFC Schedule Continues To Take Hits As Dominick Cruz Reportedly Pulls Out Of Seattle Co-Headliner

The blows keep on coming for the UFC in 2025. After losing its first pay-per-view...

Manel Kape Pitches Replacement After Losing UFC Fight Night Main Event Opponent

UFC flyweight contender Manel Kape is wasting little time searching for a new foe...