Patricio Pitbull vs. Daniel Weichel rematch headlines Bellator 203 in Rome

Reigning Bellator MMA featherweight champion Patricio Freire is set to make his return to the cage this July, and it will be against a familiar foe.

Bellator officials announced on Tuesday that the Brazilian standout will rematch Germany’sDaniel Weichel in the main event of Bellator 203 in Rome, Italy on July 14th. The co-main event will feature Italian MMA legend Alessio Sakara and Jamie Sloane in a light heavyweight matchup. It’s the promotion’s first ever event in the Italian capital.

Freire (26-4) regained the Bellator title by submitting Daniel Straus last April. Better known as Patricio Pitbull, the 30-year-old had lost his title to Straus in 2015, but the guillotine win in 2017 gave him a 3-1 advantage in their terrific rivalry. There were plans for Pitbull to defend his title against Daniel Weichel last November, but he suffered multiple injuries and was forced off the card.

Weichel (39-9) is on a four-fight winning streak, including victories over John Teixeira, Georgi Karakhanyan, and Emmanuel Sanchez. His last defeat came against Pitbull back in 2015, but it was a thrilling affair which saw Weichel nearly knock Patricio out in the opening round, only for Freire to turn the tables and brutally knock Weichel out cold in the next round. It remains Weichel’s only loss to date under the Bellator banner.

Bellator 203 will air on Paramount Network on tape-delay at 9 PM ET/CT. Also announced for the same venue is Bellator Kickboxing 10, which features an outstanding lightweight title fight between Giorgio Petrosyan (85-2-2) and Chingiz Allazov (53-2), plus a featherweight championship match between Kevin Ross (45-13) and Gabriel Varga (21-6). Broadcast details for that card will be announced in the coming days.