Edimilson Souza filled in on short notice to take on Patricky Freire in the main event of Bellator 152, in Italy. The UFC veteran also talks about his decision to make the move to Bellator.
After an unexpected release from the UFC, Edimilson “Kevin” Souza did not sit around for too long. He has since signed with Bellator and will fill in for injured Derek Campos against Patricky “Pitbull” Freire next Saturday in a lightweight match.
“Kevin” who was scheduled to fight at Final Fight Championship, an event held in Croatia that will be broadcasted by UFC Fight Pass, told Combate he needs to move on with his life.
“It’s not that I don’t want to be in an event owned by the UFC, but most people who get cut are promised to get a second chance after two or three fights and some guys are 10-0 or 12-0 haven’t come back yet. I didn’t want to get led on like that. I want to move on with my life. I just don’t want to have that sort of uncertainty.”
During his UFC stint, Souza picked up three wins in a row over Felipe Arantes, Mark Eddiva and Katsunori Kikuno. His sole loss, a rear naked choke to Chas Skelly, was enough to get him cut from the roster. Because of that, Souza felt cheated by the UFC.
“It’s the same feeling a guy has when his wife cheats on him. He has that hope that she will come back and everything will be different. It’s a crazy feeling. I can’t describe it, but it’s not very healthy.”
Now, Souza is scheduled to take on Patricky Freire in the headlined of Bellator 152 in Turin, Italy, on April 16.