'Pitbull' vs. Warren Pushed Back to Fall due to Injured Freire

MMAJunkie reported a little while ago that Patricio "Pitbull" Freire has injured his hand, thus forcing him out of his Bellator 47 re-match against Bellator featherweight champ Joe Warren. The fight was originally scheduled to take place on July 23rd. According to MMAJunkie, the fight will be re-scheduled for sometime during the fall.

Freire and Warren had been expected to meet at Bellator 47, which takes place on July 23 at Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario, Canada.

Bellator 47, which airs on MTV2 as part of Bellator's "Summer Series" events, will still feature the semifinals of Bellator's current featherweight tournament.

Warren was looking to defend the 145-pound belt for the first time since defeating Joe Soto in September 2010 to take the crown. The former Greco-Roman wrestling world champion most recently saw action in a 137-pound catchweight win over Marcos Galvao this past April.

The news is certainly interesting, as Warren was set to compete in the bantamweight (135 lbs.) tournament, which begins in September. Certainly, it would seem that a title defense would take precedence over a debut in a new weight class.

We will continue to update the story as details surface.