Daniel Straus is set to defend his Bellator MMA featherweight title for the first time (since being champion again) against Patricio Freire — a fighter Straus is very familiar with. Straus and “Pitbull” are scheduled to meet in the main event of Bellator 178 in April, president Scott Coker announced today at a press conference.
Straus and Freire have fought three times in the past, with Freire being up 2-1 in the series. They first met in May 2011 in a tournament final; the Brazilian won by unanimous decision. In January 2015, they fought once again, this time with the belt on the line. Pitbull was the defending champion at the time, and he picked up a rear-naked choke victory late in the bout. They squared off for the third time at Bellator 145 in November 2015, and Straus scored a close decision win to capture Bellator MMA gold.
Straus has not fought since that title win over a year ago. He suffered a nasty hand injury and was forced to sit on the sidelines all of last year.
Freire, on the other hand, has been up and down since that loss. In a rebound fight, he choked out Henry Corrales at Bellator 153 last April. In his last bout, he moved up to the 155-pound division to face former UFC champ Benson Henderson in a No. 1 contender fight, but suffered a leg injury in that fight and subsequently lost by TKO.
Bellator 178 takes place live from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., on April 21.