(This story appears in today’s edition of USA TODAY.)
Bellator has long been home to some of the world’s most talented fighters in the 145-pound featherweight division, and on Saturday, at Bellator 203 in Italy, two of them meet in the division’s first title bout in 15 months.
And while their goal is the same, challenger Daniel Weichel (39-9 MMA, 8-1 BMMA) and champion Patricio Freire (26-4 MMA, 14-4 BMMA) enter with vastly different attitudes.
For Weichel, this is a cherished second chance after a failed Bellator 183 title bid in 2015. Weichel suffered a knockout loss to “Pitbull” Freire, himself, but he rebounded nicely with a four-fight winning streak. Every one of those fights, the challenger says, provided lessons.
“I really think I’m a different fighter than when we fought for the first time,” Weichel tells USA TODAY Sports and MMAjunkie ahead of the main event at Foro Italico in Rome (8 p.m. ET, via tape delay, Paramount).
The setback still sits as the lone blemish on Weichel’s Bellator record, but for the 33-year-old German fighter, this isn’t about revenge.
“The thing is, I know that ‘Pitbull’ is one of the best featherweights in the world, and I’m happy to take him on for that title shot,” Weichel says. “I’m just excited to go there and fight one of the best featherweights in the world, and that’s what it was always about – fighting the best fighters out there.”
Freire, who’s No. 8 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, isn’t quite as excited about the matchup.
Despite being only 31, Freire is a veteran; he’s fought professionally for so long that, for his MMA debut, he recalls needing his father to get a judicial order. Bellator, specifically, has been his home for eight years, and as a result, he and brother Patricky have become promotional staples.
Being at the top for this long, however, has also meant something Freire isn’t happy about: multiple rematches. In his previous outing, for example, he reclaimed the belt from Daniel Straus in a matchup that happened three times before.
Freire acknowledges Weichel is a tough fighter. But as far as a new stab at the title goes, he simply wasn’t convinced by his opponent’s most recent wins – two of them split decisions, which Freire personally scored as losses.
Bellator wanted the rematch, so the Brazilian champion took it. But afterward, he plans to take action to make sure things change.
“I’m going to do my job and finish (Weichel) for good so he either moves up a division or doesn’t want to fight me anymore,” Freire says. “As a champion, I’m determining now that I won’t do any more rematches. It’s over. If I lose, it’s ethical of Bellator to give me a rematch to get the title, but that’s the only way I’d take another rematch.”
Finding motivation, Freire says, is hard enough in an unforgiving game like MMA; fights that feel like “replays” don’t help. Fortunately, though, he’s got one main source of drive – and it’s one that he’ll certainly be able to draw from in Saturday’s main event.
“I don’t like thinking about the idea that there’s someone better than me at what I do,” Freire says. “I wake up every day and tell myself, ‘No, I’m the best.’ That’s why I persist in what I do. There’s no way anyone is as dedicated as I am.”
For more on Bellator 203, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.
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