Bellator 123 was headlined by a Featherweight Championship rematch between Pat Curran and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire. The two originally met in a closely contested fight at Bellator 85 on January 17, 2013, with Curran winning the bout via split decision. The rematch was initially scheduled to take place at Bellator 121, however, it was announced on May 21, 2014 that Curran had pulled out of the bout due to a calf injury.