Three fights on Patricio Pitbull’s radar: one for ratings, one for revenge and one for redemption

Patricio Freire has his immediate future all lined up. And every single fight on his planned schedule has a certain meaning to him.

One is the biggest name fight he could get. The next is for family revenge. And the last? A chance to get back the title he once held.

First up, of course, is a matchup with Benson Henderson in the main event of Bellator 160 on Friday night in Anaheim. On paper, the fight doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in terms of rankings. But if you look a little deeper it has value, especially to Freire.

“Ben Henderson is a unique challenge,” “Pitbull” told MMA Fighting through a translator. “He’s a former UFC champion. He’s a former WEC champion. He’s the biggest name on the Bellator roster right now. He’s the biggest name I could fight in any of the lighter weight classes. So, to me it’s all about the challenge.”

In terms of sheer name value, Henderson is probably the biggest fight of Freire’s extremely successful career. It’s also a means to an end. The winner has been told that he will fight Michael Chandler for the Bellator lightweight title at a later date.

“Pitbull” could not care any less about the latter part of that equation. The former part — Chandler — is of …

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