‘Patricio Pitbull is Dangerous to Other Featherweights’ • MMA News

‘Patricio Pitbull is Dangerous to Other Featherweights’ • MMA News

Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler may not like
reigning featherweight champion Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire but he respects him stepping
up to the challenge.

At Bellator 221 this weekend, the Brazilian 145-pound
champion will move up in weight to challenge Chandler for his title but this
grudge match goes far beyond any belts up for grabs.

Instead the foundations in this fight are built on pure
disdain shared between the two athletes after Chandler decimated ‘Pitbull’s
older brother, Patricky, on two past occasions before then engaging in a very
public war of words.

The younger ‘Pitbull’ has lobbed cheating accusations at
Chandler in the past and that never sat well with the multi-time Bellator champion,
which ultimately led to this fight finally coming together.

Chandler admits there is always a certain level of respect
shared with all of his opponents because they were willing to step into the
cage to do battle with him. Nothing has changed ahead of his fight this weekend
but Chandler is quick to point out that his respect for ‘Pitbull’ only goes as
far as that.

“In this sport, it’s completely OK to respect someone as a
fighter and not respect them as a human being,” Chandler said ahead of his
fight. “I will always respect Patricio for stepping into the cage with me and I
will consider him dangerous up until the moment when I knock him out and we’re
done.”

While ‘Pitbull’ does have previous experience at lightweight
when he moved up to challenge former UFC champion Benson Henderson, he has
primarily spent his entire career fighting at featherweight.

He’s currently riding a three-fight win streak including two
defenses of his Bellator title and Chandler is confident he’ll send the
Brazilian back to his own division after this fight is finished.

“Patricio is dangerous to other featherweights. Patricio is
fast and strong compared to other featherweights. Patricio is a decent size
compared to other featherweights,” Chandler said. “But when you step into the
cage with a guy who’s 20 to 30 pounds heavier than you, that brings about a lot
of challenges. We’re not just talking about a guy who is bigger than him. I’m
faster, I’m more athletic, I have the power and I have the cardio. I have the
advantages in almost every, single aspect of the game.

“He’s still dangerous and we are still fighting in these tiny
four-ounce Bellator gloves so my hands will be up, my head will be on a swivel,
I will be ready for anything he throws at me.”

In the end, Chandler believes his size and power will just
be too much for ‘Pitbull’ to handle and he expects him to wither and fade under
the pressure before the third round is finished.

“He’s going to be in the cage with a guy who does everything
that his previous opponents have done except 10 times better, 10 times
stronger, 10 times faster, 10 times harder and 10 times nastier,” Chandler
said.

“I think he’s going to crumble and I’m looking for a finish
in the second or third round most likely.”