Patricio Freire fractured his right fibula Friday night, but he won’t need to undergo surgery.
The former Bellator featherweight champion told MMA Fighting on Sunday that doctors decided against surgery despite his serious injury, sustained during a lightweight clash with Ben Henderson at Bellator 160 in Anaheim.
According to "Pitbull", it will take six weeks until he’s cleared to put weight on his right leg, and three months until his bone is fully healed. Freire will likely return to the Bellator cage in 2017.
Henderson, on the other hand, will now face Michael Chandler for the lightweight championship at Bellator 163, scheduled for Nov.