INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Overall, Bellator president Scott Coker was pleased with the featherweight grand prix selection show Saturday evening.

After Patricio Freire retained his title with a dominant victory over previously undefeated Juan Archuleta, the seven other remaining tournament fighters drew numbers to establish a pecking order for the second-round matchup selections. A plot twist ensued when Freire was awarded “Champion’s Choice” privileges to replace any of the other seven competitors in any slot.

A little over 20 minutes after the selections began, the four tournament matchups were set. In December, A.J. McKee and Derek Campos square off, before Adam Borics faces Darrion Caldwell in January. In February, Daniel Weichel fights Emmanuel Sanchez, and in March champion Freire defends his belt against Pedro Carvalho.

“I liked it,” Coker told reporters, including MMA Junkie, post-fight at Bellator 228. “I thought it was great. Now, it’s something I’ll go back and look at the footage and talk to the guys. But honestly, I think it was a fun way to present the tournament and pick the tournament.

“It’s like a random draw, but there was a little twist at the end. I liked it and we’ll see what happens.”

While pleased with his execution, Coker voiced his disappointment in Freire’s decision to fight Carvalho. However, the Bellator president understands the thinking behind the choice.

“I mean for me personally, I think there’s some (fights) I thought were interesting,” Coker said. “But I was hoping for a different fight at the very end.

“But you know, I think he picked who he wanted to fight. He’s the champ. He gets to do what he wants to do, but I’ll tell you this: There’s some fights I’m really looking forward to in that tournament, so I think we’re going to have a great, great tournament on our hands.”

Instead of Carvalho, the Bellator boss hoped Freire would call for a fight against Caldwell in January. The two fighters exchanged words through the cage following Freire’s victory, so a meeting between the two already had associated storylines. Coker is hopeful the contest occurs down the line.

“My only thought was that when ‘Pitbull’ had the shot, I thought he was going to fight ‘D.C.,’” Coker said. “I thought he wanted him really bad. It went the other way, so now we have some interesting fights on both sides. If you keep winning, you’ll fight each other anyway at the end. So it’s going to be fine.”