For a guy who’d just pulled off one of the biggest upset of the year, Bellator lightweight Zach Freeman didn’t seem like a very happy guy.

After needing just 24 seconds to submit the heavily hyped Aaron Pico in June at Bellator 180, Freeman’s post-fight celebration was cut with criticism toward the MMA media for its lack of notice prior to the fight.

Officially the spoiler of Pico’s professional debut, Freeman vowed only to talk to the media outlets that previously had given the time of day.

Four months later, Freeman, nicknamed “The Altar Boy,” is a little more pragmatic about the issue after a “bittersweet moment” in victory.

“I think my point was that, in the future, I think it’s important to give everybody a platform to tell their story, to give them an opportunity to earn sponsors, and to rightly deserve where they’re at,” Freeman (9-2 MMA, 1-0 BMMA), who on Friday faces Saad Awad (20-9 MMA, 8-6 BMMA) at Bellator 186, told MMAjunkie. “That’s kind of what I meant.”

It might not have come across that way in the moment, of course. But Freeman ended up getting what he wanted, to a certain degree. More interview requests and interest in his career as a fighter and part-time musician followed after the event.

Now he no longer blames the media for its fair-weather approach. He recognizes it’s just part of the game in a sport where heroes are minted overnight.

“You guys work hard to help us get our names out there and get a bigger platform,” he said. “I’m always going to appreciate MMA journalists. I just was hoping I could get a little more attention.”

Make no mistake, he still wants it. More than that, he wants bigger opportunities. He is just resolved to earn them.

“I feel like I have a lot of work to put in to earn the respect of Bellator and fans,” he said. “A lot of people can call it a fluke, so it’s my job to show that it was not.”

To that end, Freeman is working hard to deliver a successful follow-up in Bellator. He is well aware of the increased stakes. This time, he faces a much more experienced opponent in Awad, whom he faces on the Spike-televised main card at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Pa.

Compared to Pico, there is no doubt Awad is ready for a big fight.

“I’m almost in the Pico boat now, fighting a veteran who’s got all this experience,” Freeman said. “I think they did justice and the opponent they chose for me.”

Against Awad, Freeman will fulfill the second obligation of a four-fight deal he signed prior to facing Pico (1-1 MMA 1-1 BMMA). Ten months remain on his contract, meaning he’ll be staying busy until he comes up for renewal.

Despite his high-profile loss, Pico beat Freeman back to the cage. This past month, the decorated wrestler starched veteran Justin Linn with a perfectly placed punch, returning him to the win column in the most impressive way possible.

Freeman isn’t bothered by the timeline of his return. In fact, he considers himself a fan of the young fighter. He thinks Pico should next face off with Justin Lawrence, the UFC veteran who’s had a second life in Bellator.

Freeman even hopes to meet Pico down the road after they’ve both become champions.

“I think the best-case scenario would be something like I win the title, and one year and a half from now, Aaron Pico wins the featherweight title, and he can fight for my title and we can put on an awesome pay-per-view event like (Conor) McGregor and (Eddie) Alvarez did,” Freeman said.

Amibtious, indeed. But based on the intense interest in Pico’s debut, and the subsequent intrigue surrounding his brief downfall, Freeman thinks putting them together would close a storyline opened with their first meeting.

In that episode, Freeman was relegated to an also-ran that didn’t have much chance against the young upstart. Now that he’s proven that was wrong role, he aims to give Bellator more reasons to promote him as the type of talent that warrants the attention.

“I took that platform and I delivered, and I really can’t ask them to be any better than they have,” he said. “They gave me a second fight, and they’ve given it to me on a main card. They’re giving me every opportunity. At this point, it’s up to me to deserve anything more.”

For more on Bellator 186, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.