Patricio Freire and Daniel Straus will fight for a fourth time tonight (April 21).
Straus will defend his featherweight championship against Freire in the main event of Bellator 178. The two are set to meet inside the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The main card of the event airs live on Spike at 9 p.m. ET.
Freire has defeated Straus twice, but lost the 145-pound gold in their last encounter. Speaking with MMAFighting.com, “Pitbull” says this version of himself would defeat the Freire of years past:
“Every time I fight, it’s basically the same thing: beat and not be beaten. I looked back at our three fights, looked at his other fights. We found several holes in my game and tried to close them, and grab the opportunities he gives me, too. He’s not in the same rhythm I am because he hasn’t fought since our last fight in 2015, he’s coming back from two hand surgeries, so we’re going to work on that. That’s the strategy, to focus on the openings he showed throughout his whole career. I see myself a completely different fighter standing and on the ground. I think this Patricio beats up the other Patricios. I really am in the best shape of my life. I’ve never been so well trained before. I trained karate, taekwondo, boxing, kickboxing, wrestling, jiu-jitsu… I’m in great shape.”
