Bellator
Pedro Carvalho has been accused of adopting the Conor McGregor persona ever since he linked up with SBG Ireland.
Current Bellator featherweight and lightweight double-champ Patricio “Pitbull” Freire is among the critics who accuse Pedro Carvalho of stealing Conor McGregor’s gimmick, but that’s not a claim that seems to bother the SBG Ireland product.
Carvalho (11-3) spoke with Bloody Elbow ahead of his Featherweight Grand Prix title fight with Freire (30-4) at Bellator 241. Carvalho argued the McGregor comparisons lack creativity and intellect.
“I think Patricio and his team are the number one fans of SBG and especially Conor. I’m kind of used to it already because I’m an SBG guy. It doesn’t matter what kind of approach I have people are always going to compare me. I think it’s normal when people don’t think for themselves. I know myself. I’m just me. I’m real and faithful with myself. I never try to pretend to be someone else. This is me,” he asserted. “Me saying and believing that I’m the best in the world, saying with everything that I have that I believe I’m going to dominate Patricio, I’m not trash talking. This is me.”
Carvalho has noticed these comparisons ever since his Bellator career started taking off.
“It was pretty much when I started to have my success,” he explained. “Of course, when you start to have success and you are doing things right, the filthy haters will start to show up from the holes. In this case they don’t have much to say about me because I truly believe I’m unique in my own way. I don’t try to be anyone else. Since people don’t have arguments against me, they stick with this stupid argument that I’m trying to be Conor. That argument exists pretty much because I’m his teammate. If I wasn’t his teammate it wouldn’t exist.”
Carvalho will have his chance at dethroning Freire in the main event of Bellator 241 on Friday, March 13.