Bellator
Patricio "Pitbull" Freire suffers broken hand, out of Bellator 47 bout with Joe Warren
Jul 5, 2011 - 6:50:13 PM Patricio "Pitbull" Freire suffers broken hand, out of Bellator 47 bout with Joe Warren

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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Bellator Fighting Championships had a set plan for Featherweight Champion Joe Warren this year. He was scheduled to defend his title against Patricio "Pitbull" Freire this month at Bellator 47, and then afterward he will be dropping to bantamweight to take part in the season five bantamweight tournament.

However, according to multiple reports, Freire has suffered a broken hand in training, canceling the title fight the two were supposed to have this month. Now Freire will have to wait until after Warren's participation in the bantamweight field to get his shot at the title.

It's a very disappointing setback for Freire, who was out to avenge a loss to Warren suffered in the finals of the season two featherweight tournament. Freire nearly finished Warren in the first round, but Warren came back in the second and third round to eke out a decision. The loss was the only one on Freire's record. As for Warren, he then went on to defeat Joe Soto for the belt during the organization's third season and remains undefeated in Bellator action.

Penick's Analysis: This is a potentially derailing development for Bellator's featherweight division. Freire had a chance to win the belt to keep it active with Warren dropping to the bantamweight division, and now the title will be held up with two challengers waiting in the wings after the current summer series finishes up. But if Freire is held out of action for awhile as it is, Warren could get through the season five tournament and be ready to go in the spring for a title fight. Still, this throws off Bellator's plans for Warren and the division.