Patricio Freire narrowly escaped the Bellator 203 main event with his featherweight title.

Freire’s (27-4 MMA, 15-4 BMMA) second reign as 145-pound champion got off to a successful start when he edged Daniel Weichel (39-10 MMA, 8-2 BMMA) by split decision in a rematch of fight from June 2015, which “Pitbull” won by second-round knockout.

The championship bout headlined Bellator 203, which took place at Foro Italico in Rome. The event aired via tape-delay on Paramount.

It was a fairly competitive fight for all five rounds. However, it seemed Freire was getting the better of the action for the majority of the time. Aside from a clear-cut third frame for Weichel, as well as some near-submission attempts, it was the Brazilian titleholder who was stacking up rounds in his favor as the fight wore on.

Two of the three judges agreed Freire had the more effective offense than Weichel, and he was rewarded with a title defense on his resume. Judge Sal D’Amato had it 49-46 for Freire, while Chris Lee gave him the fight 48-47. Derek Clearly was the lone judge to see it Weichel’s way, giving him a 48-47 scorecard.

Freire got his hand raised in his first bout since Bellator 178 in April 201. In the process, he tied former lightweight champ Michael Chandler for the most overall victories in Bellator history (15).

Weichel, oppositely, fell short yet again on a championship stage. His only losses in the past six years have come against Freire in Bellator title fights.

Following his win, Freire called out SBG Ireland for a team vs. team showdown with the Pitbull Brothers academy, which has been an ongoing desire from him and his brother, Patricky Freire, in recent months.

For complete coverage of Bellator 203, check out the MMA Events section of the site.