The Bellator 132 event scheduled for Jan. 16 at the Pechanga Resort in Temecula, Calif. is not getting much attention, despite the fact that the main card has been announced for a while. No lines are up yet, but with the fights two weeks away, we are going to take a look at some of the event’s more intriguing matchups.
The main event features Patricio “Pitbull” Freire‘s first title defense of his featherweight belt, as he faces one-time champion Daniel Strauss. The fact is that when you include Pat Curran, Bellator has a nice trio of fighters at the top of the division that have waged wars together. Back at Bellator 45 in May of 2011, Freire took a three round unanimous decision over Strauss but a lot has changed for both guys in the ensuing three years.
Strauss should be coming in hungry for this fight. He has had a trilogy of fights with Curran, and he took the belt from Curran then lost it back to him in the re-match. Along comes Freiere, who then beats Curran and takes the belt. The brief taste of the belt should be something he wants, and he has a loss to Freiere to make up for. He would drop a bit from the title picture if he was 0-2 against Freire.
In terms of MMA competition, it is a potentially great match and should come up with a tight line when the books release it, with Pitbull likely to open favored. He has maintained a terrific 22-2 record, with both his losses coming in previous title shots (Pat Curran, Joe Warren). Now that he has the title, if he gets by Strauss a third date with Curran awaits him. Freiere may be coming into his own.
Why are Bellator lineups not getting odds earlier? Maybe because despite Viacom’s presence and the high profile kept by President Scott Coker, they still are a small operation compared to Zuffa. Here is a highlight package that features Strauss at the end. The company has no promotional videos just two weeks away on their website or YouTube channel.
