Bellator 255 took place Friday night on Showtime, and you can find the results from the card right here. Below are some of the highlights from the night’s action! The main card began with a competitive fight between flyweights Kana Watanabe and A…
Bellator 255 took place Friday night on Showtime, and you can find the results from the card right here. Below are some of the highlights from the night’s action! The main card began with a competitive fight between flyweights Kana Watanabe and Alejandra Lara. Watanabe earned the split-decision nod, and you can find a quick […]
The Bellator 255 weigh-ins have wrapped up. Bellator 255 takes place Friday, April 2, from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The main event will see the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in Bellator, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire defending his fea…
The Bellator 255 weigh-ins have wrapped up. Bellator 255 takes place Friday, April 2, from the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The main event will see the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in Bellator, Patricio “Pitbull” Freire defending his featherweight title in a rematch against Emmanuel Sanchez in the semi-finals of the grand prix tournament. Pitbull […]
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (31-4) faces Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4) at Bellator 255 Friday, April 2 and he expects more of the same from Sanchez. Just before they face off on the first event broadcast on their new home on SHOWTIME, the current f…
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (31-4) faces Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4) at Bellator 255 Friday, April 2 and he expects more of the same from Sanchez. Just before they face off on the first event broadcast on their new home on SHOWTIME, the current featherweight and lightweight champ spoke with MMA News and it seems he and Sanchez […]
Bellator’s 145lb and 155lb champion, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire, is set to compete in the semi-final of the featherweight GP at Bellator 255. His opponent comes in the form of a familiar face for ‘Pitbull’ as Emmanuel Sanchez steps up to make his run at 145lb gold. The two fighters previously fought in 2018, in one […]
Bellator’s 145lb and 155lb champion, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire, is set to compete in the semi-final of the featherweight GP at Bellator 255. His opponent comes in the form of a familiar face for ‘Pitbull’ as Emmanuel Sanchez steps up to make his run at 145lb gold. The two fighters previously fought in 2018, in one of Bellator‘s most exciting five-round fights to date.
The double champ is supremely confident going into the rematch. Having won the first fight by decision, Freire believes he has improved so much since then, that he will now dominate the fight wherever it ends up. Speaking with LowKick MMA’s Frank Bonada, Pitbull discussed how this second fight will demonstrate an even more impressive version of himself than in the first bout.
“The fight might be a war,” said Freire, “The first one was. But back then he was bringing a new style for me. I’ve brought new martial arts disciplines into my game. And right now, I’m much more adapted to it. So I think it’s gonna be different. I think it’s gonna be more in my favour. Less balanced than the first fight was.”
Freire also spoke about how he stacks up with Sanchez in terms of skill and ability. Unsurprisingly, the double champ does not believe ‘El Matador’ to be his equal in any area of MMA. He had the following to say:
“I feel I’m a better fighter than him in every aspect. In striking, in grappling, in wrestling. And so I can see different ways of winning this fight. I can see myself finish him standing. I can see myself submitting him. And I can see myself outwrestling him. Everyone has a plan till the fight starts. And we have to dance according to the music. You will see how it goes when we fight.
Should the fight against Sanchez go as Freire expects, he will then go on to face A.J. McKee in the final of the featherweight tournament. Whilst this does mean that Pitbull will be tied up in the 145lb division for the immediate future, he does still plan of making a lightweight title defence in 2021. He stated the following:
“We have two more fights in the featherweight tournament before I’ll have cleaned up the division again. So Bellator will have to review it. So the next step will be to defend the lightweight title.”
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire will face off against Emmanuel Sanchez at Bellator 255 on April 2nd.
Who do you see winning the much anticipated rematch? Let us know in the comments.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator‘s two-division champion, is currently riding an impressive 6 fight win streak. This recent run of form includes KO finishes over Michael Chandler and Pedro Carvalho. And yet he is often criminally overlooked by MMA media and fans alike. At the time of writing, Pitbull is ranked at 21 in Tapology’s world […]
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator‘s two-division champion, is currently riding an impressive 6 fight win streak. This recent run of form includes KO finishes over Michael Chandler and Pedro Carvalho. And yet he is often criminally overlooked by MMA media and fans alike.
At the time of writing, Pitbull is ranked at 21 in Tapology’s world featherweight divisional rankings. This leaves him fighters such as Jeremy Stephens (0-4-1 in his last 5 fights) and Edson Barboza (2-3 in his last 5 fights). Who, whilst being undeniably exceptional fighters in their own right, do not have a recent resume close to what Patricio has achieved.
Speaking with LowKick MMA’s Frank Bonada, Pitbull vented his frustration at being so underappreciated and overlooked.
“That’s a big pile of s**t,” Pitbull said of the Tapology rankings. “Michael Chandler is the 6th or 5th lightweight in the world right now, in UFC. And I beat him in sixty seconds. I have the record of title defences in Bellator. And you’re saying there’s eighteen better guys in the featherweight division than me? That’s why most of these rankings I don’t give a s**t about them. They’re bad, they’re awful. And shouldn’t be considered at all.”
The primary reason Freire attributes to this pattern of disrespect is due to the stranglehold the UFC holds over MMA. Whilst Bellator does it’s own fanbase, it pales in comparison to Dana White‘s MMA goliath. However, as Freire mentioned earlier, Michael Chandler, a former foe of Pitbull’s, jumped straight into the top 5 of the UFC rankings, off the back of just one fight. This demonstrates the level of quality there is at organisations such as Bellator, but also highlights the lack of exposure they receive due to not being signed by the UFC. Freire had the following to say on the matter:
“I don’t know because the rankings in MMA, they’re very political. You know, they favour one single promotion. And at the end of the day, some of the greatest end up forgotten. Like we have Fedor, just because he never fought for the UFC, many people don’t know who he was. And he’s one of the greatest of all time. He’s definitely the greatest heavyweight of all time. But even before he lost, he was already dropping in the rankings.”
Regardless of public perception or rankings, Pitbull allows his work in the cage to speak for itself. The double champ is focused on legacy over hype.
“I know what I’ve done. I know the records that I have. I’m past the point of caring about what these rankings represent. I still find they’re s**t. I don’t fight for the media, or to be ranked, I already know where I stand in this division. That’s all that matters to me.”
Pitbull Freire is set to face off against Emmanuel Sanchez in the semi-final of Bellator’s featherweight grand Prix. The fight takes place at Bellator 255, on April 2nd.
Do you think Patricio Pitbull should receive higher praise and notoriety? Do you agree with his statements?
Emmanuel Sanchez will face Patricio “Pitbull” Freire on April 2 at Bellator 255. The two men have crossed hands before for the featherweight crown back in 2018 at Bellator 209, and while Sanchez came up short, his eye has never been off the prize. This…
Emmanuel Sanchez will face Patricio “Pitbull” Freire on April 2 at Bellator 255. The two men have crossed hands before for the featherweight crown back in 2018 at Bellator 209, and while Sanchez came up short, his eye has never been off the prize. This time, Sanchez has hardened his skin in the early rounds […]
Bellator’s 145lb and 155lb champion, Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire, is set to compete in the semi-final of the featherweight GP at Bellator 255. His opponent comes in the form of a familiar face for ‘Pitbull’ as Emmanuel Sanchez steps up to make his run at 145lb gold. The two fighters previously fought in 2018, in one […]
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator‘s two-division champion, is currently riding an impressive 6 fight win streak. This recent run of form includes KO finishes over Michael Chandler and Pedro Carvalho. And yet he is often criminally overlooked by MMA media and fans alike. At the time of writing, Pitbull is ranked at 21 in Tapology’s world […]