Will Brooks isn't looking past Marcin Held. But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a few words for Patricky Freire.
Brooks, who defends his Bellator lightweight title against Held this Friday at Bellator 145, has exchanged unpleasantries with Freire, a top contender in the division, several times before, stemming back to what appears to be sustained displays of mutual disrespect.
But when you're asking Brooks about it, take this tip: Don't refer to it as a rivalry.
"No rivalry there. No rivalry," Brooks said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. "A rivalry happens when someone is on your level. He's not even on my level. He hasn't achieved that goal."
The whole thing was most recently inflamed by a heated Twitter exchange over the summer between Brooks and Freire's younger brother, Bellator featherweight champ Patricio Freire. Patricky spoke up for his brother and said he was hoping to face Brooks in the cage.
Patricky Freire (14-6) lost to Held in September 2014 and then defeated Saad Awad in August. Afterward, Patricky called out Brooks, calling him "loudmouth" in the process.
Who wants to bet that patricky calls me out?
— Will Brooks (@illwillbrooks86) August 29, 2015
As the old MMA saying goes, Brooks (16-1) was not impressed by his performance.
"He didn't do anything," Brooks said of Freire's decision win. "I was cheering for him. I said 'give these guys a title shot.' It was hard to watch, though. Then after, he calls me out and didn't even do anything. ... I forgot it was on my TV. I looked up and someone that was at my house with me said 'oh, he's talking about you.'"
That said, it seems a collision between the two is probably inevitable given the heat between them and their status as the division champ and a top challenger. Brooks said Patricky didn't deserve a title shot, but in the same breath said he'd be willing to fight him.
"I'll be more than happy to punch him in his face," Brooks said.
As Brooks prepares to face Held and with Freire's next fight uncertain, everyone will just have to wait and see. No need to wait, however, to get Brooks' opinion of Freire.
"He sucks, man," Brooks said. "Dude is garbage."
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
