Freire wants Canelo fight, not rematch with Chandler
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Patricio Freire knows Michael Chandler wants a rematch after Bellator 221, but he has other plans.
After Freire (29-4 MMA, 17-4 BMMA) finished Chandler (19-5, 16-5) with a first-round knockout to claim the lightweight title and become a simultaneous two-division champion Saturday night, Freire thinks Chandler should fight his brother Patricky Freire next for a third time.
Chandler already has two wins over Patricky, including a knockout. Patricio’s win over Chandler came with some mild controversy, with some believing referee Rob Madrigal stopped the fight too soon given the champion-versuschampion implications.
But Freire has other thoughts. “He was sleeping,” Freire told MMA Junkie after the fight. “He kissed the floor, so I’m good with that. … I won the fight. You saw that. He watched the video (replay) after the fight, and he saw he lost.”
So now Freire believes Chandler should run it back with Patricky this year — while he goes to work figuring out how to land a boxing match with Canelo Alvarez on DAZN.
A natural next fight for Freire could be at featherweight against A.J. McKee (14-0, 14-0), who beat ex-champ Pat Curran (23-8, 13-5) earlier in the night. But Freire believes McKee’s win was “terrible.”
“He was afraid,” Freire said. “Let’s do (a fight). I’m going to kill him. … If he can do it at featherweight, let’s go.”
But that’s only if Freire can’t get the boxing match with Alvarez.
“I think I can do well with him,” Freire said. “I watched his last fight, and I believe I can fight him. Now I have two belts. He has a lot of belts, too, and it’s going to be a good match.”
Freire said he hasn’t broached that topic with Bellator president Scott Coker or DAZN, with which Alvarez has a deal.