Patricio Freire will make the second defense of his Bellator MMA featherweight championship this Friday when he takes on Daniel Weichel at Bellator 138.

While Freire (23-2 MMA, 11-2 BMMA) is happy with the opportunity to defend his title again, he isn’t entirely comfortable with the fact that his fight with Weichel (35-8 MMA, 4-0 BMMA) will be playing second-fiddle to a bout between Ken Shamrock and Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson.

“As far as being the champion, I feel pretty comfortable,” Freire told MMAjunkie. “Obviously, some things could be better, and some things should be different. I think Kimbo and Shamrock should be my co-main event, and not the other way around.”

“There is a positive side and a negative. The positive is that it can possibly attract the attention of new fans. The negative is that they should use Kimbo and Shamrock to raise our profile, instead of having us support them. Randy Couture and James Toney were the co-main event of Edgar vs. Penn 2. The general public did not know who Edgar was, and Toney and Couture were much better known than B.J.. But the champion’s position was respected and that’s how the UFC promoted it. I fight three to four times a year. Those guys fight now and maybe never again. What’s better? Two million people watching them now, or two million people watching me several times a year?”

Freire’s original opponent for the event, which airs from Scottrade Center in St. Louis on Spike TV after prelims on MMAjunkie, was Georgi Karakhanyan. Karakhanyan suffered a torn ACL that knocked him from the bout.

Despite the change in opponent, “Pitbull” is approaching the fight the same way.

“Almost nothing changed,” Freire said. “Training basically remained the same because they have very similar styles and size. He is a complete fighter, but not outstanding in any area. He can make up for it with experience and by mixing up the fundamentals, but I find myself better than him in every way. I will dictate what happens in the fight, the rhythm of the violence, and win by knockout.”

Life now is about more than fighting for the Bellator featherweight champ. His family is about to grow, and with children comes a change in perspective.

Freire now has his mind set on being an example for his child, something he says he had as a young child growing up.

“I will be a father; my wife is pregnant with a boy who will be named Davi,” Freire said. “It is a great blessing in our lives, a far greater joy than being the world champion. He is due in September. It is something that solidifies our life together. At a time like this, integrity becomes even more important. I want to be an example to my son as my father is to me. I never needed to look for a hero on TV; I always had one at home.”

And for more on Bellator 138, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.