Patricio Freire said an injury created a tougher fight than anticipated at Bellator 153. Nevertheless, he picked up the victory and expects a featherweight title shot as a result.

Freire (25-3 MMA, 13-3 BMMA) earned another decisive finish after stopping Henry Corrales (12-3 MMA, 0-3 BMMA) with a second-round submission in the Spike-televised co-main event at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

The performance put “Pitbull” back on track after losing Bellator’s 145-pound title to new champ Daniel Straus (24-6 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) at Bellator 145 in November. It wasn’t his best work, he said, mainly because a short-notice opponent paired with physical issues held him back. Regardless, he said beating Corrales will get him a title shot.

“I needed time to feel him out, to avoid unnecessary danger and bring another victory home,” Freire told MMAjunkie after the event. “I have a chronic injury, a worn-out joint, which flared up during training. It’s not something that can be corrected via surgery. But that doesn’t excuse my performance. It was necessary to remain calm so I could get submit him at the right moment.”

The Straus defeat not only lost Freire the title, but it also snapped a seven-fight winning streak. During that run the Brazilian finished five opponents inside the distance and built a reputation as a high-risk champion who would seek out highlight-reel wins.

Freire said he knew victory alone wasn’t most important against Corrales, though, and that’s why he didn’t search for style points. Once he saw the opportunity to jump on the neck for the fight-ending guillotine choke, he took it.

“To tell you the truth, he’s a very tough fighter,” Freire said. “But everyone knows I’m much more technical. With his courage and resolve, he was managing to land hard shots while standing. We both connected. So, I took him down on the first round, tried a few submissions, but he managed to escape. That’s when I saw that it could be the path to securely earn another victory.”

Although the bout didn’t meet Freire’s lofty standards, he still got a stoppage, which, according to him, set up the opportunity to fight Straus for the fourth time in his career.

“Our fans have to understand that same days we have to compete instead of putting on a show,” Freire said. “This was a time to compete. I had to use my brain in the cage. It was a last-minute change, to a very aggressive opponent. He likes to throw some unexpected shots like overhand punches. But I meet or surpass every skill required to contend for the belt. No one in our weight class surpasses me, so I know I deserve to fight for the title again. I gave a rematch to Straus when he didn’t deserve it since I had defeated him twice already. I lost to him in a closely contested bout. Now that I’ve won again, Bellator already promised me my title shot.”

Freire and Straus have a long history. The first meeting took place at Bellator 45 in May 2011, with Freire winning a unanimous decision. The rematch happened less than four years later at Bellator 132 in January 2015, with Freire winning again, that time by fourth-round submission.

Most organizations would be reluctant to book a third fight been two fighters with one side up 2-0. Straus and Freire have given little alternative, though, after beating the best available contenders in the featherweight division. Straus got his third meeting with Freire at Bellator 145, and he made good on it by winning a unanimous decision.

Straus suffered a gruesome broken hand in the fight that has prevented him from competing. Freire said he’s been promised a title shot and will share the cage with Straus the moment he returns, bu he’s not sure if he wants to wait around that long.

“I don’t know when he’ll be back,” Freire said. “I broke his hand when he blocked one of my kicks. But he had a calcification problem and needed a second surgery. They had to open his hand up, break the bone again, and make the needed corrections. Now he’s healing again. I don’t know if my next fight will be against him. But I do know that his next fight will be against me.

For more on Bellator 153, check out the MMA Events section of the site.