Watch: 'Pitbull' submits Straus to recapture Bellator featherweight title

He had to defeat a rival for a third time, but Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is the Bellator featherweight champion once again.

Freire slapped a guillotine choke on Daniel Straus in the second round of the main event of Bellator 178 and he didn't let go until Straus had submitted, relinquishing his claim on the 145-pound belt. It was the fourth fight between the two, with Freire taking a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

After suffering a leg injury in an ill-fated move up to 155 pounds to fight Benson Henderson last August, Freire rebounded in spectacular fashion Friday by picking up his second title and a company-record 14th win in the Bellator cage. His 10th stoppage moves him into a tie with lightweight champion Michael Chandler for the most Bellator finishes (stats per Mike Bohn of MMAjunkie).

Post-fight, Freire said that this championship would go to his infant son, who had been brought into the cage to celebrate with him.

In Round 1, Straus avoided Freire's power shots, but he absorbed several kicks and was unable to use his wrestling to put the challenger on his back. That grappling defense led Freire to victory in the second frame as Straus went all-out for a takedown that Freire stuffed.

With Straus forcing the issue, Freire attacked his exposed neck and locked in the guillotine choke that ended the fight 37 seconds into Round 2.

This was Straus' first outing since November 2015, a unanimous decision win over Freire that earned him his second Bellator title. A hand injury has kept Straus out of action since and his nemesis was happy to ruin his return. Straus is now 3-3 in his past six fights and 11-4 inside the Bellator cage.

Up next for Freire could be another rematch, this time against Daniel Weichel. "The Weasel" won a split decision over John Teixeira at Bellator 177, his fourth straight victory since being knocked out by Pitbull in a June 2015 title fight.