Patricio “Pitbull” Freire News

Patricio Pitbull releases statement following debut defeat at UFC 314
Harry Kettle - April 13, 2025
Patricio Pitbull has released a short statement in the wake of his defeat to Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 in Miami last night. For the longest time, fans were wondering what it would look like if Patricio Pitbull made his way over to the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The former Bellator star had long since been linked with a move over to the big time and last night, he actually competed inside the Octagon. He went up against Yair Rodriguez, but unfortunately, he didn’t put forward his best showing.

Pros react after Yair Rodriguez defeats Patricio Pitbull at UFC 314
Chris Taylor - April 12, 2025
Tonight’s UFC 314 main card lineup featured a highly anticipated featherweight contest between Yair Rodriguez and Patricio Pitbull. Rodriguez (20-5 MMA) was looking to snap a two-fight losing skid when he stepped foot in the Octagon this evening in Miami. ‘El Pantera’ was coming off back-to-back stoppage losses against Brian Ortega and Alex Volkanovski in his tow most previous efforts. Prior to those setbacks, the Mexican standout had earned a submission win over Josh Emmett to claim the promotion’s interim featherweight title.

UFC 314 Results: Yair Rodriguez defeats Patricio Pitbull (Highlights)
Chris Taylor - April 12, 2025
We have you covered for all of tonight’s UFC 314 results, including the men’s featherweight bout between Yair Rodriguez and Patricio Pitbull. Rodriguez (19-5 MMA) will be looking to snap a two-fight losing skid when he steps foot in the Octagon this evening. ‘El Pantera’ is coming off back-to-back stoppage losses against Brian Ortega and Alex Volkanovski respectively. Prior to those setbacks, the Mexican standout had earned a submission win over Josh Emmett to claim the promotion’s interim featherweight title.

UFC 314 | Pro fighters make their picks for Yair Rodriguez vs Patricio Pitbull
Cole Shelton - April 10, 2025
On the main card of UFC 314, an intriguing featherweight bout goes down as Yair Rodriguez takes on Patricio Pitbull. Heading into the fight, Rodriguez is a -205 favorite, while the former Bellator champ-champ is a +158 underdog on FanDuel. Ahead of the scrap, BJPENN.com reached out to several pro-fighters to get their predictions for the featherweight bout. The pros believe this will be a close fight, but the slight majority believe it will be Rodriguez edging out a decision.

Patricio Pitbull decides to end Michael Chandler feud following recent apology
Harry Kettle - April 10, 2025
UFC newcomer Patricio Pitbull has decided to put an end to his rivalry with Michael Chandler following a recent apology. As we know, Patricio Pitbull is one of the most exciting new names to walk through the doors of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. This weekend, he’ll attempt to prove that the hype is warranted when he battles Yair Rodriguez. A lot of fans and pundits aren’t quite sure to expect from him at this point in his career, but either way, it’s just great to see the former Bellator sensation in the UFC.

UFC 314: MMA legend wonders if Patricio 'Pitbull' has 'too many miles on the clock'
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 6, 2025
One UFC Hall of Famer wonders if Patricio “Pitbull” Freire has had too many wars going into UFC 314. Freire will be making his long-awaited UFC debut on April 12 in Miami. The former two-division Bellator champion will be going one-on-one with Yair Rodriguez. The featherweight collision will be featured on the main card of UFC 314.

UFC 314: Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire open to fighting UFC Hall of Famer if asked
Fernando Quiles Jr. - April 2, 2025
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire won’t shy away from a dream fight with his fellow legendary countryman. Freire will finally be making his UFC debut on April 12. He’ll share the Octagon with Yair Rodriguez on the main card of UFC 314 in Miami. It’s a big spot for Freire, who is looking to snag UFC gold before his fighting career is over.

Patricio Pitbull reveals two-fight plan for UFC title push
Harry Kettle - March 31, 2025
UFC newcomer Patricio Pitbull has revealed the plan that he hopes will fast-track him to a world title opportunity. At UFC 314, we look set to finally see the debut of Patricio Pitbull in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. While he may be at an advanced point in his career, we’re talking about one of the all-time best. As was the case with Michael Chandler, Patricio has spent years building a name for himself outside of the promotion – most notably in Bellator.

Michael Chandler not interested in reigniting feud with Patricio Pitbull under the UFC banner: “I’m not a guy who tries to get anything back”
Harry Kettle - March 12, 2025
Michael Chandler isn’t interested in reigniting his Bellator feud with Patricio Pitbull now that they’re both in the UFC. As we know, Michael Chandler has achieved some incredible things in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. What some fans forget, however, is that he already had a great resume before that, courtesy of his tenure in Bellator.

Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire sends brief warning to Yair Rodriguez ahead of UFC 314
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 11, 2025
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is planning to make his UFC debut an emphatic one. It’s been a long time coming for Freire, who will finally step inside the Octagon for the first time at UFC 314 on April 12. The former multiple-time Bellator champion will be facing Yair Rodriguez inside Kaseya Center in Miami.

Patricio Pitbull leaks heated back and forth DMs with Yair Rodriguez
Harry Kettle - February 26, 2025
Patricio Pitbull has leaked a series of heated direct messages between himself and Yair Rodriguez ahead of their clash at UFC 314. As we know, Patricio Pitbull has officially signed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. In his first appearance at UFC 314, he is set to battle it out with Yair Rodriguez. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of excitement in the air when it comes to considering what these two could do to one another in the cage.

Patricio Pitbull reveals he would've retired if the UFC declined to sign him: "It was them or retirement"
Josh Evanoff - February 25, 2025
Former Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull would’ve retired if the UFC didn’t sign him. The Brazilian hasn’t been seen in the cage since a knockout win over UFC veteran Jeremy Kennedy last March. That victory wound up being Patricio Pitbull’s final appearance in the Bellator cage, as he was released from the PFL last month. The move came after the featherweight publically feuded with company executive Donn Davis over inactivity.

Michael Chandler reacts to Patricio Pitbull's decision to join the UFC: "If he plays his cards right..."
Josh Evanoff - February 24, 2025
Lightweight contender Michael Chandler is happy to see Patricio Pitbull in the UFC. ‘Iron’ recently signed a deal to return to the cage at UFC 314 in Miami. Fresh off a loss to Charles Oliveira in November, Michael Chandler will face off with the rising Paddy Pimblett in April. For his part, ‘The Baddy’ hasn’t competed since a first-round submission victory over ‘King’ Bobby Green last summer.

Patricio Pitbull takes aim at Aljamain Sterling for rejecting offer to fight him: "He ran!"
Josh Evanoff - February 21, 2025
Former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull is taking aim at Aljamain Sterling ahead of his UFC debut. The 37-year-old hasn’t been seen in the cage for nearly a year. Last March, Patricio Pitbull made what would be his final Bellator appearance, scoring a third-round knockout win over UFC veteran Jeremy Kennedy. Afterward, the Brazilian was famously kept on the sidelines. Due to the inactivity, Pitbull requested and was later granted his release from the PFL.

Patricio Pitbull sends message to featherweight division after joining the UFC: "Your future king has arrived!"
Josh Evanoff - February 20, 2025
Former Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull has sent a message after joining the UFC. The Brazilian was one of the key faces of the Bellator brand for well over a decade. From 2010 to 2024, Patricio Pitbull racked up title defense after title defense, and title after title. During his tenure with Scott Coker, he scored victories over names such as A.J. McKee, Michael Chandler, Emmanuel Sanchez, and Wilson Reis.

Dana White talks potential interest in ex-Bellator stars Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire and Aaron Pico
Fernando Quiles Jr. - January 19, 2025
UFC CEO Dana White has weighed in on the possibility of Patricio “Pitbull” Freire and Aaron Pico entering the Octagon. Freire was recently granted his release from the PFL after publicly sharing his gripes with how the promotion handled fighters under the Bellator banner. “Pitbull” felt Bellator’s demise began when the PFL took over and he felt the promotion’s co-founder Donn Davis had no real plan in place.

PFL releases longtime Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull after lengthy rant: "We are all about opportunity"
Josh Evanoff - January 14, 2025
Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull is no longer with the PFL. When Donn Davis and the PFL bought Bellator in late 2023, there was a lot of optimism from all parties involved. The new owners promised a loaded schedule for 2024 and quickly revealed a new broadcasting deal with Max. Sadly for Bellator fighters such as Patricio Pitbull, many of those promises went unfulfilled.

Donn Davis defends PFL after backlash from Bellator fighters, Patricio Pitbull responds: "You said you'd honor everyone's contracts"
Josh Evanoff - December 20, 2024
Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull has responded to PFL founder Donn Davis. As many fans have likely noticed over the last few weeks, Bellator fighters aren’t happy. Last fall, the PFL and Donn Davis bought the longtime Viacom brand and promised to honor the roster’s contracts. Quickly, the company announced a new streaming deal with HBO Max and revealed a massive schedule for 2024.