Patricio Freire successfully defended his Bellator featherweight title with a second-round finish over Daniel Weichel last Friday at Bellator 138, and being able to coming back from a tough first round is one of the reasons why he believes he’s the second best featherweight in the world behind Jose Aldo – “but not for long”, he says.
Fresh off another title defense, the featherweight kingpin released a statement to the media explaining why he should have no losses in his 24-2 MMA record, how fans and media react to the success of non-UFC fighters, his chances against UFC 145-pound champion Jose Aldo, and more.
I’m at the top. You can rank Aldo and no one else ahead of me right now. But not for long. I’m positive I’d beat Aldo. Some of the guys people say would beat me I just shake my head and ask myself if they’re serious. Look, I have 26 fights, should be 26-0. I have been dominant in 90 percent of those. I haven’t been fighting scrubs. Ever since I began I fought the toughest guys that they could put in front of me. Now because of my last two fights people want to write me off? Fights that I won, by the way.
Fedor was rocked by Fujita, he was suplexed by Randleman, Floyd Mayweather was rocked by Shane Mosley. There are so many examples of things like this happening in combat sports. How many comebacks has “Minotauro” been known for? If you think making a comeback and overcoming adversities is a signal of weakness you couldn’t be more wrong.
It’s not over until the fat lady sings. An unbreakable mind is what makes great fighters. No one can break me. The only way to stop me is to completely finish me. As long as I can move my legs and my hands I’ll be fighting and looking for a way to win. There are so many guys who lose fights because they get rocked and in their mind they just want to survive. We’ve seen some champions take one punch and let their opponents take over the fight and their belts. I’m not like that. And being like me is something rare these days.
I see people talking about some top 10 UFC guys like they’re gods yet I don’t see anything special. There are guys there who can’t take a punch, with limited grappling, limited striking. Yet people say they can beat me. They think they can beat well rounded guys like Straus, Curran and Weichel.
I believe I would beat every one of them, I also have the skills and ability to beat Aldo. It would probably be a war and both of us would end up hurt because neither would back down, but my hand would be raised.
Bellator fighters can have success in the UFC as UFC fighters can have success on Bellator, most times it’s all about match-ups. Everyone called the WEC lightweight guys cans and yet the two champions before Rafael dos Anjos were from the WEC. His next title challenger is from the WEC. Frankie Edgar, who was the UFC lightweight champion, wasn’t able to capture the featherweight belt and is behind Aldo and Chad Mendes on the rankings.
You have to analyze us by our skills, not just where we’re fighting. People said Cain would destroy Werdum and Rafael had no chance at Pettis. What happened in those fights? They were on the same organization, yet people were completely wrong.
If Bellator was the number one promotion, we’d be the top fighters and if anyone said a UFC fighter could become champion at Bellator people would laugh the same way they laugh when there’s talks about a Bellator fighter becoming UFC champion.
The combined record of my opponents to date is 431-156-1, 4 no-contests. When I fought them it was 268-60-1, 4 no-contests. Aldo’s 378-170-6, 2 no-contests and 258-99-5, respectively. We both have 26 fights. I have 18 finishes, he has 16 finishes. I have two highly controversial losses by split decision, he was finished once. How can you talk about the different level of competition at this stage, especially when all the time I see people talking about some fighters signed by the UFC not deserving their spot? Sure there is more depth in the UFC as they have much more fighters. It doesn’t mean the top guys outside can’t compare to the top guys there. Just look at McGregor, the guy suddenly appeared and is now fighting for the title. There’s life and talent outside the UFC. Guys equally talented or with more talent.
I don’t think this perception of fighters from a certain organization being better will ever change, but one thing I can say for sure: you can never count me out of a fight, against anyone, anywhere, under any circumstances. I’m a small guy slaying giants and I’ll keep doing so. One day you all will have to recognize me. What I did, how I did it, and everything that comes after. My history at the top is just beginning.