Champ Pat Curran rematches Patricio Freire at Bellator 121 on June 6

After winning back his title in March, Bellator MMA featherweight champion Pat Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) will next fight Patricio Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in a rematch at Bellator 121.

Officials today announced the fight, which headlines the organization’s first “Summer Series” event of 2014.

Bellator 121 takes place June 6 at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla. The main card airs on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com. Curran vs. “Pitbull” is the only the fight currently booked for the card.

Curran won the duo’s first meeting via split decision at Bellator 85 in early 2013. Curran is currently ranked No. 6 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings while Freire is No. 10.

“‘Pitbull’ has been running his mouth a lot lately, and everyone is sick of hearing it,” Curran stated. “I’m ready to shut him up for good. I’m an even better fighter now than I was the first time we fought, and I’ll show you, ‘Pitbull,’ a true champion fights on June 6.”

Curran most recently fought at Bellator 112, where he got an immediate Bellator rematch (and a third overall meeting) after losing his belt to Daniel Straus at Bellator 106. Curran scored a come-from-behind fifth-round submission victory in the duo’s most recent meeting, which marked the 26-year-old’s seventh win in eight fights.

He now takes on Freire, who earned his title shot with after winning the Season 9 featherweight tournament with a decision win over Fabricio Guerreiro and knockout victories over Diego Nunes and Justin Wilcox. The 26-year-old Brazilian, who was one of the more vocal critics of the Straus vs. Curran 3 booking, is now 4-0 with three knockouts since his loss to Curran in their first meeting.

For more on Bellator 121, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Pat Curran)