‘Bellator Goat’ Patricio Pitbull Believes Fighting in the UFC Will Cement His MMA Legacy, Earns Support From Henry Cejudo

Patricio Freire, one of Bellator MMA’s most decorated champions, is ready for the next big step in his career. After nearly a decade of dominating the Bellator featherweight division and successfully defending his title multiple times, “Pitbull” feels the time has come to test himself in the UFC. 

Freire has his sights set on the promotion’s stacked featherweight division, often referred to as a “shark tank” due to its incredible depth and talent. After years of sidestepping the UFc question and championing Bellator as an elite promotion, the 37-year-old has officially asked for a release from his contract following its acquisition by the PFL.

Freire expressed frustration with the current state of the organization, noting that things aren’t as they once were. “I’ve always been Bellator’s biggest supporter,” Freire admitted.

“But things have changed, and it feels like the right time for me to prioritize myself.”

 

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Freire’s impressive legacy at Bellator spans over a decade, with 30 fights, nine title defenses, and multiple championship reigns. With UFC’s featherweight champion Ilia Topuria determined to move on from the division, Freire would make a worthy admission. 

‘Pitbull’s’ proposed move to the UFC was also supported by former champion Henry Cejudo who commented under a post saying,

“This man is so underrated it’s crazy. Patricio is one of the goats”. 

But why is Freire moving on exactly?

The root cause of the issue for Freire 

As the reigning Bellator featherweight champion, Freire has only fought once in the past 13 months and currently has no upcoming bouts on the calendar.

His February fight was canceled on the same day when opponent Gabriel Braga pulled out, leaving Freire to compete in March against Jeremy Kennedy, whom he defeated via TKO.

After that win, Freire informed PFL officials he was ready to return. Initially, he expected to fight in September, and later the focus shifted to December for a rematch with Chihiro Suzuki.

However, that event, scheduled to take place in Japan, was also canceled. 

“They kept me waiting for a fight that never happened,” Freire said, calling the situation disrespectful. He questioned why PFL couldn’t simply organize the event elsewhere and criticized their failure to deliver on promises of eight Bellator events in a year, with only five actually taking place.

Freire, proud of his career accomplishments, lamented the state of MMA outside the UFC, expressing concern for fighters who may lose opportunities and fair pay due to the handling of Bellator and PFL operations.