Former Bellator MMA Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler was supposed to fight current champion Brent Primus for the gold at Bellator 197. However, injury would strike Primus and he would get replaced by Brandon Girtz, who now faces Chandler in the new Bellator 197 main event.
Chandler claims that Bellator MMA Featherweight Champion Patricio Freire was offered a spot in the main event, but he turned the opportunity down.
"I said, '100 percent, let's do that,'" Chandler told ESPN. "I've been wanting to fight that guy for a while. I sent my contract over, and a couple hours later, I got a call back that basically said, 'Never mind. Patricio is making all kinds of demands,' which were basically smoke and mirrors for, 'I don't want to fight.' He's said he wants to put my head on his mantle. Bellator gives him the fight he supposedly wants, and he turns it down. He's a coward with a big mouth."
Patricky, who is the brother of Patricio, has fought Chandler twice before, suffering defeats in both of those encounters.
Patricio would take to Twitter to say that he wanted to fight Chandler in a five round fight (instead of a three round fight), but Bellator officials turned it down:
My brother was offered an interim title fight,but he’s hurt.I asked to fight in his place right away. It was set.Bellator then sent me a contract for 3R,which wasn’t what we agreed to.I even said ok to no interim,but wanted 5R.They said they’d go w/ someone else.That was on them. https://t.co/Z83RRrON5q
— Patricio Freire (@PatricioPitbull) March 22, 2018
Nobody from Bellator MMA has commented on the claims made by either Chandler or Freire.
Bellator 197 takes place on Friday, April 13 from the Family Arena in St. Louis, Missouri with Michael Chandler and Brandon Girtz headlining. Fightful is providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on the Paramount Network.
