Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire explains why he mended fences with Bellator

It appears happy days are here again for Patricio Freire and his employers at Bellator MMA following a months-long public feud.

Earlier this year, Freire began his public criticism of Bellator after the organization booked Pat Curran for an immediate rematch with then-champ Daniel Straus. Freire, who had won his second Bellator tourney, was supposed to be up next for a title shot.

When officials instead went with Curran vs. Straus (Curran won the fight in March and reclaimed the belt), “Pitbull” unloaded.

“I’m very disappointed with the whole situation,” Freire told MMAjunkie at the time. “I’m very upset with the organization. I’ve knocked out three of my past four opponents.

“I lost to Curran in a split decision, so I felt like I deserved to get back in there and have another shot at him. Instead, I had to go back to normal fights and the tournament, but I knocked out three of my next four opponents, and feel like I’ve done enough again to get the shot now.”

More complaints soon followed. Freire suggested officials should release him from his contract if they didn’t believe in him. He complained of a feeling of disrespect and compared the situation to being “betrayed by your father.”

However, things seem to have improved.

“I think that the problems I had were stated clearly and publicly over the last few months,” he told MMAjunkie earlier this week. “My managers spoke to Bellator recently, and Bellator demonstrated a great willingness to change things. I liked what I heard, and I think with can look forward with good hope now.”

The fighter’s latest booking probably helped. Freire (21-2 MMA, 9-2 BMMA), in fact, is next up for Curran (20-5 MMA, 10-2 BMMA). They headline Bellator 121, the organization’s first “Summer Series” event of 2014, which takes place June 6 at Winstar World Casino in Thackerville, Okla.

Freire is thankful to get the Spike TV championship headliner, though he admitted he preferred to fight at tonight’s Bellator 120 pay-per-view event.

“The initial plans were for me to fight on May 17,” he said. “But they ended up giving Curran more time due to the difficulty of the Straus fight. For me, May 17 would have been better, but I cannot wait for June 6 to arrive. It will be almost seven months since my last fight.

“If it was up to me, I would fight at least once every three or four months. If Bellator wants me to fight every month, that’s not a problem. I enjoy fighting, and I don’t enjoy being idle.”

And as for his relationship with the company going forward?

“What I’d like from Bellator is to be respected and well-promoted,” he said. “We spoke recently. I think that now we’re on the same page, and I can look ahead with optimism.

“I didn’t think some of their decisions in the last few months were wise. But I believe they’ll know how to adapt, and they’ll go back to being the Bellator that gained the respect and admiration of the fans.”

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