Patricky Freire vs. Derek Campos To Headline Bellator 181

Bellator MMA has announced the main event for their upcoming Bellator 181 event. The promotion is heading to WinStar World Casino and Resort in Thackerville, Oklahoma in July and they are coming with a lightweight bout that will see Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (17-8) take on Derek Campos (18-6).

Freire will be looking to build on an impressive start to his 2017 campaign, following a second-round finish of Josh Thomson at Bellator 172. Having won seven of his last 10 bouts, Freire is on a roll as he continues to established himself as a contender for the lightweight title. 11 of his 12 career finishes coming by way of knockout, including each of his seven in Bellator.

Campos has also started off this year on the right foot as he earned a big win over Derek Anderson at Bellator 170 earlier this year. He will enter the Bellator cage for the 12th time. Having won nine of his last 12 contests, Campos is looking to avenge his earlier loss to “Pitbull” over three years ago at Bellator 117. Campos will also enter the bout riding a three-fight winning streak, which includes victories over Melvin Guillard and Anderson.

The event takes place on Friday, July 14th. The prelims will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App while the main card will air live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday, April 28, 2017, at 10 a.m. CT and can be purchased at WinStar’s Global Event Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Additional main and preliminary card bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.