Michael Chandler won’t be seeking a fight with Patricio Freire now that they’re in the same promotion again.
Freire signed with the UFC and will debut on the same card as his former rival. Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meets former interim featherweight champion Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314, while Chandler faces popular lightweight Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event.
Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) lost his Bellator lightweight title to “Pitbull” by first-round TKO in May 2019 but beat his brother, Patricky Freire, twice.
“Yeah, not interested in relitigating anything, man,” Chandler told CBS Sports. “I’m not a guy who tries to get anything back, and also I’m not a type of guy who likes to have any animosity. Obviously I knocked his brother out almost twice, definitely knocked him out once pretty bad. I think there was a miscommunication there with the language barrier.
“I said something about family because of his brother and then I think he interpreted that as mom, wife, sister, brother, kids, and all that, and I think it got blown out of proportion to be honest with you. With that being said, I wish him the best in the UFC. I want him to come over and do well.”
Freire appears to still be agitated by Chandler, but the former three-time Bellator lightweight champion plans on being cordial whenever they cross paths.
“He’s a 145’er, I’m a 155’er, I’ve got no interest in fighting Patricio ‘Pitbull,’ but it’ll be interesting to share the same card with him,” Chandler said. “And when I do see him, I will shake his hand respectfully, might even apologize for the miscommunications in the past. Let’s let bygones be bygones. You don’t need to spend any of your energy on me. Focus on trying to become the featherweight champion of the UFC.”
Related
UFC 314 video: Patricio ‘Pitbull’ has first UFC faceoff vs. Yair Rodriguez
Video: ‘UFC 314: Volkanovski vs. Lopes’ press conference live stream replay
Michael Chandler reacts to ex-Bellator rival Patricio ‘Pitbull’ signing with UFC
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Michael Chandler not interested in reigniting Patricio Freire feud in UFC
