The Bellator lightweight championship will not be vacant for very long, with the announcement that two familiar names will face off for the strap in June. During Saturday night's broadcast, the promotion announced that former lightweight champion Michael Chandler will face off with perennial contender Patricky "Pitbull" Freire for the title at Bellator 157.
The announcement comes just hours after the sudden, but unsurprising, release of Bellator's pound-for-pound best fighter (and its now-former lightweight champion), Will Brooks, which Bellator President Scott Coker "confirmed with MMAJunkie.com," according to John Morgan.
Brooks and Bellator have had a persistently rocky relationship since he first won interim gold at Bellator 120. Over the last few months, however, things have escalated, with Brooks airing a number of grievances with Bellator on social media and teasing his intent to leave the company:
While Brooks' shadow will most certainly loom large over Bellator 157, the matchup between Chandler and Pitbull is still an exciting one.
Despite twice losing to Brooks, Chandler remains one of Bellator's top talents, with an exceptional wrestling pedigree that has held up well in the cage. While he found himself in dire straits following a three-fight skid, he is currently coming off impressive wins over Derek Campos and Dave Rickels.
Freire, meanwhile, has become one of Bellator's most popular names with his numerous exciting fights. While he hasn't necessarily been consistently successful in the cage, owning a serviceable 9-6 record in Bellator, he is coming off a good win over knockout artist Kevin Souza.
Bellator 157, also known as "Bellator: Dynamite 2," takes place on June 26 in St. Louis and will also feature Quinton "Rampage" Jackson's return to Bellator opposite Japanese MMA veteran Satoshi Ishii and Matt Mitrione's Bellator debut. Watch out for more details on the card as they become available.
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