Patricio Freire still doesn’t know what his next career steps will be – but, as he told MMA Junkie recently, “Pitbull” knows one thing about his current position in Bellator – and beyond.

“I’m the best featherweight in the world, and I have been for a while,” Freire said, before going on to make his case.

That type of self-confidence isn’t surprising coming from Freire, who’s said that in the past. It’s not entirely unwarranted, either, considering “Pitbull” has just recently added a second belt to his collection with a first-round knockout of fellow Bellator staple – and favorite going into the match – Michael Chandler.

Freire hasn’t lost a featherweight bout since 2015, when he dropped a title-costing decision to Daniel Straus at Bellator 145. Freire would later avenge that to re-claim the title, which he’s defended two times since. Prior to that, he’d only lost twice in his entire career – both split calls, to ex-champions Joe Warren and Pat Curran.

Freire’s claim, however, is still a hard one to prove definitively. After all, he’s got some competition out there – most notably in the form of UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway. Despite having just come up short in his own dual-championship bid, “Blessed” won a whopping 13 featherweight bouts in a row. Holloway’s last loss in the division, in 2013, was to none other than Conor McGregor.

When Freire says he’s the best featherweight in the world, though, it’s not discounting Holloway’s presence.

“I’d beat him” Freire said. “That’s a fact. Like I was certain I’d beat Michael Chandler, I am absolutely certain I’d beat Max Holloway.”

Again, we venture into “hard to prove” territory. Freire recently signed a new multi-fight deal with his longtime Bellator home, and Holloway hasn’t really indicated any intentions of leaving the UFC octagon. And though Bellator has recently done some cross-promotional efforts with RIZIN, having that happen with the UFC doesn’t exactly seem like a possibility for the foreseeable future.

This means that, while MMA has taught us not to rule out anything definitively, the chances of us getting to see this one actually playing out don’t seem that high. But one can dream, right?

And while we’re in the realm of hypotheticals, allow Freire (29-4 MMA, 17-4 BMMA) to give his thoughts on why Holloway (20-4 MMA, 16-4 UFC) has been able to dominate the featherweight competition the way he has – and why he would be different.

“For me, he’s the same Max Holloway who fought Conor McGregor – and who lost to Conor McGregor,” Freire said. “For me, he’s that same guy, he hasn’t changed much. However, he’s very well-rounded. He’s very tall, and he utilizes his reach very well. And his boxing is very sharp. So, fighters haven’t been able to match him technically. He knocked Jose Aldo out twice with pure boxing. Speaking as a boxer, he managed to paralyze Aldo with that.

“Jose Aldo has always been, for a long time, very fast and very strong, so he was able to have medium technique – not excellent, but good – and managed to stop the other guys for a long time due to his speed and strength, mixed with the technique. Max Holloway, he isn’t a strong guy, but he’s a durable guy, with above-average technique.

“That’s why he’s able to dominate. As soon as he meets someone who matches his technique and who has the durability to hold him off until the end, he’s going to have a problem. And I have power, strength, endurance. I have everything that he doesn’t want.”

At least for now, we’re just going to have to wonder about that one. Holloway is currently scheduled to defend his title against Frankie Edgar at UFC 240. Freire, in turn, is still figuring out his next steps as a champ-champ, which at this point could feasibly take place in any one of Bellator’s 135-, 145- or 155-pound divisions.

Freire has been up for proving his dominance over fellow featherweights for quite some time – hence, the respectful Aldo callouts that he’s issued in the past. But, as long as he’s not given a chance to prove it, there are bound to be those who doubt him.

Fortunately, “Pitbull” is not losing sleep over that. Gone are the days, he says, in which he got upset over things such as his placement in rankings. He now understands the “politics” behind them, he says, and cares only about specific opinions: the ones of those whom he considers true specialists and, of course, his own.

“For me, the guy who’s LFA, the guy who’s at Jungle Fight, he isn’t any less tough than the guy who’s in the UFC,” Freire said. “It depends on the type of competition he faces. It depends on the record of the guy who’s facing him. Who did his opponent fight? I know all these numbers. I know these comparatives. The fighters I fought – what was their record, whom did they beat, whom did they lose to?

“Based on that, I know where I stand. So I’m not too worried about it. Honestly, I’m curious for someone to say, ‘Patricio would lose to this guy in the division.’ I’d like to know whom I’d lose to. Because I’ve been decimating this division for a few years. But … I’m not retired. I’m at the best stage of my life. Let’s go. Let’s beat whomever comes in front of me.”

For more on Bellator’s upcoming schedule, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.