John Teixeira responds to ‘Pitbull’ Freire’s accusations: ‘Everybody wants to be a McGregor now and talk sh-t’

John Teixeira was forced out of the Bellator 153 co-main event with a broken rib, and his opponent Patricio Freire doubts he’s really hurt.

"Pitbull" told MMA Fighting moments after Bellator officials confirmed the news that he’s "that type of guy that needs to see to believe," and Teixeira plans to make his MRI results public on Wednesday, after he receives the MRI images from his doctor, to prove he’s injured.

"I also can’t believe I’m really injured," Teixeira told MMA Fighting. "I’ve never been in this situation before. This is the first time something like this happens to me. I was hit in the ribs during sparring. I was feeling more pain than usual, so I went to the doctor and he asked for more exams to determine how bad it was, and the MRI showed the fracture."

Teixeira (20-1-2) was getting close to a shot at the Bellator featherweight title after winning three straight under the promotion’s banner, and a win over a former champion Freire could have been his final step towards Daniel Straus’ belt.

"Yes, I got injured and went to the doctor immediately do to exams like any other professional athlete," Teixeira said, responding to Freire’s allegations. "I’m not a p*ssy and I’m not scared of pain so I kept training that day. I never had anything easy in my career, and this pain was part of it.

"I usually don’t talk about my opponents, but everybody wants to be a [Conor] McGregor now and talk sh*t," he continued. "I’d like to ask Bellator that my next fight to be against ‘Pitbull,’ just so he knows I don’t run from any man. The problem is that maybe he won’t want to fight with me. This fight will happen unless he doesn’t want to. I settle fights inside the cage, using my hands, and not talking trash."

"Pitbull" tweeted on Friday night that Bellator got him another opponent. Teixeira, on the other hand, expects to be sidelined for 60 to 90 days.