Bellator
Joe Warren vs. Patricio "Pitbull" Freire II on tap for Bellator 47 in July
May 26, 2011 - 9:45:19 AM Joe Warren vs. Patricio "Pitbull" Freire II on tap for Bellator 47 in July

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

The third ever Bellator Featherweight Championship fight will take place this July, as MMAWeekly.com reports that Joe Warren and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire will square off at Bellator 47 on July 23.

The title fight will be a rematch of the season two featherweight tournament finals, a fight Warren won by a slightly controversial decision. The bout arguably could have been stopped in the first round, as Freire had Warren in a lot of trouble throughout, and his efforts should have earned him a 10-8 round. Warren recovered and fought strong down the stretch, earning the second and third rounds on the judges' scorecards.

But Freire also had an argument for the second round, and at the least should have earned the draw with his first round beating, but ultimately Warren was given the decision, earning him a shot at then Bellator Featherweight Champion Joe Soto.

Warren would go on to capture that belt with a come from behind win over Soto, and Warren has added another controversial decision win, over Marcos Galvao, to his record since capturing the belt.

After his loss to Warren, Freire took the fall and winter off and entered the Bellator season four featherweight tournament. With TKO wins over Georgi Karakhanyan and Wilson Reis, Freire earned his second straight tournament finals appearance. This time he made the most of it, defeating Daniel Straus to earn this rematch.

Bellator 47 will be the second of three monthly events for the organization during their "Summer Series" on MTV2.

Link to Original Source Article

Penick's Analysis: Freire absolutely wants that first fight against Warren back, as he nearly finished him in the first round and then faded down the stretch. With Warren entering the Bellator season five bantamweight tournament, the best outcome for Bellator as an organization might be a Freire win here, as otherwise Warren won't be available to defend the belt against the "Summer Series" tournament winner. But Warren will still be a tough test for Freire, as he was the first time around. "Pitbull" just needs to finish what he started in the first round of their first fight and he could walk out with the belt around his waist.