Patricio Freire has seen your featherweight rankings. If you don’t have him ranked No. 2 in the world, know that he thinks your list sucks.

“First of all, let it be clear that I’m second for now; I’ll be the No 1,” Freire told MMAjunkie through an interpreter. “I consider myself undefeated, and we’re talking about an 11-year career. I have two split-decision losses that should have gone my way, but I think I lost for political reasons. What puts me at No. 2 are my numbers, my conquests, my performances. My accomplishments in the weight class are enormous. Almost no one has done as much as me.

“In 2013, I fought five times – four in less than three months. The first one was a loss to a top fighter, Pat Curran, for the belt, after 20 months away. I should have gotten the decision. After that, I had four wins – three knockouts and a complete domination of the other opponent. This year, I dominated Curran, who was again the champion and is a great featherweight that should be among the top-ranked fighters. I’m 10-2 in Bellator and should be 12-0. My overall record is 22-2 and should be 24-0.”

For the record, MMAjunkie has the Bellator MMA featherweight champion ranked at No. 6 in the world in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA featherweight rankings, sitting behind UFC champ Jose Aldo and current top contenders Chad Mendes, Ricardo Lamas, Frankie Edgar and Cub Swanson.

“Pitbull” Freire said he believes most rankings give far too much value to fighters competing in the UFC.

“I think the media overvalues the UFC and doesn’t give much credit to other fighters,” Freire said. “Compare the records of the fighters from other organizations and you’ll see you are ranking guys wrong. Tell me how Pat Curran is behind Ricardo Lamas. What’s the logic in it? How is Conor McGregor ahead of Daniel Straus? If Straus was a UFC fighter, the UFC wouldn’t want McGregor anywhere near him. McGregor is good, and he may even have a bright future. But let’s be real here. If he didn’t talk so much, would he be so up in the rankings?

“Show the sport of MMA some respect. Everyone said the WEC guys would take beatings in the UFC; now they are the top fighters. Why do you think it can’t happen with us? Same thing happened with Strikeforce. And people said PRIDE guys were the best, but the UFC guys had success. It’s about the fighter, not where they fight, and high-level competition is everywhere – in some places more than others, but there are elites everywhere. There’s WSOF, ONE FC, etc. If you doubt some of the guys I beat in Bellator, check the other top-10’s opponents. If it was so absolute, the rankings would never change. New signings would never win in the UFC and so on.”

Freire (22-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) can make a big statement early in 2015, as he returns to action on Jan. 16, when he defends his title against the No. 10-ranked Straus (23-5 MMA, 9-2 BMMA) in the headlining bout of Bellator 132, which takes place at Pechanga Casino Resort in Temecula, Calif. The contest serves as a rematch of the pair’s May 2011 meeting, which Freire won by decision to claim Bellator’s Season 4 featherweight tournament title but was then sidelined for until 2013.

Freire said he’s always believed Straus was one of the world’s beat featherweights.

“I never doubted his potential,” Freire said. “When I beat him, I got injured and saw him have a big win streak, eventually becoming champion. I knew we would end up fighting again due to his progress and watched all his fights – which I basically do with everyone in my weight class. He’s always been good, but he’s more complete now. He mixes things better, is faster, stronger. It’s going to be a good challenge.”

It’s a big fight for both Freire and Bellator, as the first event of 2015 marks the true launch of the company’s new direction. Freire believes with a vintage performance, he could potentially become one of the company’s biggest stars.

“Bellator is reminding me of PRIDE,” Freire said. “I’m sure the best things are yet to come and I’m very confident about it.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I believe every champion deserves to be respected and promoted. And I believe I’m one of the most exciting fighters on the planet, so I think it would be logical for them to promote me. It’s a global organization, and I’m the biggest draw in Brazil and one of their biggest draws in the world – and with their push, I could be even bigger, especially if I keep performing like I do.”

Freire said he would like for the promotion to consider adding fight night bonuses for awards like “Fight of the Night,” “Knockout of the Night” and “Submission of the Night.” He’s also hoping to fight four times in 2015 and isn’t opposed to seeking out additional championship opportunities anywhere from 135 pounds to 170 while looking to truly build a legacy.

But most importantly, he just wants MMA media to take a hard look at their featherweight rankings and give Freire, not to mention his fellow Bellator fighters, a fair shake.

“I hope media stop ignoring the fighters who aren’t in the UFC,” Freire said. “MMA is a global sport and there are other organizations – some more famous than others, but in most of them, even the less famous, a fighter can get top challenges. Give the fighters their due respect and have a better criteria to rank fighters. Don’t let logic out.

“When a fan thinks someone is 1 or 10 I understand, but when it’s ‘specialized media,’ it frustrates me. We, the fighters, only have the media to promote our job and give us our deserved space. If someone disagree with me, all you have to do is prove with good arguments, numbers, quality of opponents, why am I not, for now – I’ll soon be No. 1 – the No. 2. So please media guys, work for the sport, not for the UFC.

“If I was in the UFC and had a big mouth, with my results, I would be No. 1. What are some people’s logic to rank McGregor ahead of me, Curran, Straus and many others? Look at my results. If I was 10-2 in the UFC, there would be no argument, even if I had beat competition inferior to what I have. The media gives so much importance to where you fight that if a guy beats one can or debuting fighter in the UFC, it would be more valuable than someone coming on Bellator and beating a top guy. That’s not right.”

For more on Bellator 132, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.