Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire is the greatest Bellator MMA fighter in history, according to boss Scott Coker

• Patricio Freire is the greatest Bellator MMA fighter in history because of his broad body of work.
• That's according to company president Scott Coker, who welcomes Freire back to the cage Friday.
• Freire fights Emmanuel Sanchez in a 12-bout Bellator 255 card in Uncasville on Showtime.

The greatest Bellator MMA fighter in history takes center stage when the promotion restarts its live events business Friday at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut.

That's according to Bellator's Scott Coker, who welcomes Patricio "Pitbull" Freire back to his cage for a featherweight tournament semi-final against Emmanuel Sanchez.

"Pitbull's body of work has been more complete than any other one fighter who has been here," Coker told Insider.

There's a lot at stake with Freire's featherweight title on the line and the chance to fight high-flying 25-year-old AJ McKee in a Grand Prix final worth $1 million for the winner.

The Bellator 255 event will be broadcast for the first time on the premium network Showtime in the US and on the BBC's iPlayer service in the UK.

The Hollywood-headquartered MMA promotion has been on pause for four months as it aligned its schedule with Showtime's, but it now hopes to return with a bang.

There are few fighters who can put on a show like Freire, and one of the talking points of late regards the Brazilian's status in the company, and whether he's the best mixed martial artist Bellator has ever had.

"I tell you … absolutely," Coker said. "On the ratings that just came out, he's the No.1 pound-for-pound fighter at Bellator MMA."

Coker marveled at the way Freire is able to compete at featherweight, at lightweight, and then continue to excel through the 145-pound Grand Prix.

The 33-year-old has the most wins in Bellator history with 19, is only the second simultaneous two-weight champion the company has ever had, and has tallied nine wins in Bellator title fights.

Bellator has been home to other all-timers like Fedor Emilianenko, but what separates Freire is that he's a home-grown talent, Coker said.

Coker also said that it's a testament to Freire's mentality that he wanted to go out of his way to fight Michael Chandler after the American beat up his brother Patricky Freire in 2016.

Three years later, Pitbull booked his dream fight and finished Chandler in the first round to settle a personal score.

"They had a war of words and he had a revenge fight against Michael Chandler for his brother's loss, but that's who this guy is," Coker said.

"When he walks around, he's got a chip on his shoulder like the Diaz brothers Nick and Nate. He'd fight you in a telephone booth if he has to, and he's just a tough, tough guy.

"Considering the fighters and great athletes I've been around my whole life, he is right up there in the top echelon."

Coker even holds Freire in higher esteem than Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Brian Ortega - the UFC's big three at featherweight.

"Pitbull is the greatest featherweight on the planet right now," he said. "Period."