When ex-champ Patricio Freire meets current featherweight titleholder Daniel Straus on Friday, it will have been almost a year and a half since Straus last stepped into the cage. Straus’ (25-6 MMA, 11-3 BMMA) most recent affair was the 2015 encounter that had him leaving with a decision win, “Pitbull” Freire’s (25-4 MMA, 13-4 BMMA) belt and the severely broken hand that would sideline him for all of 2016. Freire, in turn, has fought twice since. But while some may factor in the champ’s long inactivity when placing their bets for Bellator 178’s headliner, that’s something “Pitbull” himself is not really counting on. After all, he can speak from experience when he says that being away from the cage doesn’t necessarily translate into poor performances.
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