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FIGHT ODDS

Warren Defends FW Title Against ‘Pitbull’ at Bellator 47

Mike WhitmanMay 25, 2011
Joe Warren (above) will look to best Patricio Freire for a second time. | Photo: Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com


Bellator Fighting Championships featherweight champion Joe Warren has made it known that he intends to hold two titles simultaneously, as evidenced by his entry into the promotion’s upcoming, fifth-season bantamweight tournament.

However, if he is to accomplish that goal, Warren will first have to get past fourth-season featherweight tournament winner Patricio “Pitbull” Freire in a rematch of their 2010 clash. Sherdog.com has learned from a source close to the fighters that the self-professed “baddest man on the planet” will likely square off with Freire at Bellator 47 on July 23.

The second event in Bellator’s planned “Summer Series,” Bellator 47 will likely feature the semifinals of the promotion’s latest featherweight tournament and will air live on MTV2. No location or venue has been announced for the event.

A former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion, Warren made his Bellator debut in April 2010, running the gauntlet to capture the second-season featherweight tournament crown. The 34-year-old came back from the brink of defeat against then-champion Joe Soto at Bellator 27, knocking his foe out in the second round with a flurry of strikes. Most recently, Warren walked away with a contentious unanimous decision over Marcos Galvao in their 137-pound catchweight contest at Bellator 41 in April.

The lone loss in Freire’s seven-year pro career came at the hands of Warren in Bellator’s Season Two tournament final. Though the Brazilian gave an excellent account of himself in their Bellator 23 clash, Freire ultimately wound up on the short end of a three-round split decision. The 23-year-old returned to Bellator with a vengeance in 2011, knocking out Georgi Karakhanyan and Wilson Reis en route to a second finals berth, this time against Daniel Straus. “Pitbull” controlled the action against Straus, using excellent wrestling defense to earn a unanimous nod and a shot at redemption against Warren.