Patricio Freire: Michael Chandler Beats Everyone In The UFC
Bellator featherweight and lightweight champion Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire, believes his one-time opponent Michael Chandler, will defeat everyone in the UFC lightweight division.
The former Bellator champion began life in his new promotion in a spectacular fashion with a first round TKO victory over number six ranked contender Dan Hooker, in the UFC 257 co-main event. The 34 year old slugger then pulled off a Ric Flair-like promo in his post-fight interview, by calling out Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Chandler couldn’t have asked for a better start to his UFC career; his impressive performance saw him enter the UFC lightweight rankings at number four this past week.
Chandler Beats Them All
While many still doubt his chances to win the UFC lightweight title, Freire believes Chandler is too hot to handle for anyone in the division. Speaking to Ag Fight (as translated by Bloody Elbow), Freire was full of praise for his former opponent.
“I know Michael Chandler. I know his potential. He’s very explosive. He throws heavy shots, if it lands, it’s over,” Freire said. “I had stated that even before his debut (that Chandler would be the new UFC lightweight champion). The fact that he lost to me does not erase his potential. Between him and Poirier, I bet on him, easily. I think he’s going to make it similar to what he did to Hooker.”
According to oddsmakers, Poirier is the favourite to end 2021 as the champion, followed by Chandler and Charles Oliveira. But Freire doesn’t see anyone, including ‘Do Bronx’, beating the Missouri native.
“I don’t think Charles Oliveira’s style matches up well with his,” Freire stated. “Chandler has fought great jiu-jitsu guys before, like Benson Henderson and my brother [Patricky Freire]. He’s practically impossible to submit. Of course he can get caught, but I think that’s very difficult. His wrestling is a great counter to the jiu-jitsu approach, it makes it very complicated for them. I’m really cheering for Charles, but I think Chandler will defeat everyone.”
Bellator vs The UFC
If Chandler goes on to win the UFC belt, Freire is down for a cross-promotional rematch with him in the future.
“If Chandler becomes the champion, it’ll only go to show that a Bellator guy went out there and destroyed it,” Freire said. “He’s already close to a title fight. I knocked him out in less than a minute [at Bellator 221]. If we have a rematch, I’ll do it again. It’s the fight fans want to see. The fans look at it as a videogame and they want to set up an imaginary fight. They don’t care about promotions, they just want to see it happen. It’s a win-win for everyone. If the UFC doesn’t book this fight, it’ll make them look bad. The Bellator champion is the best one, not yours. It’s on them if they want to have that reputation.”
Do you agree with Patricio Freire when he says Michael Chandler beats everyone in the UFC lightweight division?
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