“[Bellator] sent an internal message turning it down,” Freire said. “A.J. McKee was pissed because I gave up the 155-pound title, but he didn’t respond when I called him for the all-or-nothing. He should be pissed at himself because if he had responded to that when I called him, it would create some buzz in the media, fans would talk more, and Bellator would be in under some kind of pressure [to do it].
“Maybe they would concede, maybe not, but [McKee] would have the chance to fight for the belt and become champ-champ, which is what he wanted. But he didn’t even answer me, he ignored me, so f*ck you, man. You can’t complain.”
“Honestly, I was never hopeful that this rematch would happen,” he said. “I don’t know what was going through my mind [when I thought that]. I know I have history there [in Bellator], but right now it feels they have the right fighter. It’s a kid grown in Bellator, an American, 18-0, and [Bellator] won’t put Patricio Pitbull to end the reign of an American inside an American organization. I hope I have a chance, and I think everybody knows I deserve this title fight.”
