Patricio Pitbull edges out Adam Borics in hard-fought decision win – Bellator 286 Highlights

Patricio Pitbull, Adam BoricsPatricio Pitbull earned a hard-fought win to snap Adam Borics’ winning run in the main event of Bellator 286. The reigning three-time Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull took on Adam Borics in the headlining bout at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California. Borics was looking to extend his four-fight win streak and capture […]

Patricio Pitbull, Adam Borics

Patricio Pitbull earned a hard-fought win to snap Adam Borics’ winning run in the main event of Bellator 286.

The reigning three-time Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull took on Adam Borics in the headlining bout at the Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California. Borics was looking to extend his four-fight win streak and capture the gold by defeating the grizzled veteran.

Borics started things off trying to find his range whereas Pitbull remained the more composed and less active fighter early. Pitbull countered Borics’ flying knee attempt with a left hook mid that connected mid-air to send the Hungarian down to the mat. He made good use of his low kicks to bruise up Borics’ lead leg. Borics connected with a flying knee in the third round but could not capitalize as he got out grappled thereon.

Patricio Pitbull defeated Adam Borics after going the distance by unanimous decision.

Below, catch the highlights from Adam Borics vs. Patricio Pitbull

Patrício Pitbull issues callout to Jose Aldo for ‘superfight’ in either MMA or Boxing

Patrício PitbullPatrício Pitbull (33-5 MMA) is now gunning for a battle of the Brazilians with Jose Aldo (31-8 MMA) to find out who is the best out of the featherweight champions, especially since Aldo is now retired and no longer under contract with the UFC. Jose Aldo’s last UFC appearance was at UFC 278 where he […]

Patrício Pitbull

Patrício Pitbull (33-5 MMA) is now gunning for a battle of the Brazilians with Jose Aldo (31-8 MMA) to find out who is the best out of the featherweight champions, especially since Aldo is now retired and no longer under contract with the UFC.

Jose Aldo’s last UFC appearance was at UFC 278 where he squared off against rising featherweight Merab Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA). 

Although coming into the event a betting favourite, the 36-year-old was unable to get his rhythm going as Dvalishvili was able to subdue Aldo’s striking with his much-anticipated wrestling, earning himself a unanimous decision victory on the night.

Despite the disappointing performance, MMA fans weren’t expecting the journey to end just there, as Aldo officially hung up his gloves a few weeks after the bout.

This is all happening while Patrício Pitbull managed to regain his Bellator featherweight championship against AJ McKee and is now set to defend his 145lbs throne for the 15th time against Adam Borics (18-1 MMA) at Bellator 286.

Patrício Pitbull still wants to fight Jose Aldo and doesn’t mind if it’s either MMA or Boxing

Although Patrício Pitbull understands Jose Aldo will remain a legend forever, he believes Aldo has a lot left in the tank and isn’t finished fighting just yet. 

Speaking on this week’s ‘Trocação Franca‘ podcast, Patrício Pitbull congratulated his fellow countryman on ‘a beautiful run’ in Mixed Martial Arts, however, doesn’t believe ‘Junior’s’ retirement isn’t final and is made by others and will eventually return to some form of combat.

You feel there was a spark in his decision [to retire], that it was time to stop, that he had already done a lot for the sport,” Pitbull exclaimed. 

He’s well financially, but I think, for his age, that his fire isn’t out yet. He’ll sit down, enjoy his son that was just born, his daughter, his marriage, and the moment will come where he will have that desire to fight again, and maybe he goes to boxing.

‘There were some talks out there between him and ‘Popo’ [former WBO and WBA champion Acelino Freitas]. He can also do a [MMA] superfight now that he’s not under contract. The world has opened for him one more time.

With the chances for a ‘superfight’ becoming more plausible for Patrício Pitbull, he still feels that it was a missed opportunity not to arrange a fight between them both whilst they were both in their primes.

It would have been good [to fight in our primes], right?‘ Pitbull said. 

It would have been a decider of who really is the best featherweight. We have very similar numbers. Amount of wins, title defences, submissions, knockouts, length of title reign, etc. Even though many people say, ‘Whoever is in the UFC is the best and whoever is in Bellator is the second best,’ it’s impossible to say that unless you put them to fight.

It didn’t happen, time has passed, he no longer has the belt, he stopped fighting, but the future is long, and opportunities are endless. We’re not that old. If it’s a fight between two old guys, it’s cool, we’d be equal. Or in MMA, a superfight, everybody is out of contract. Who knows?‘ (Transcribed by MMAFighting.com)

Would you still be interested in seeing Aldo Vs Pitbull?

Patrício Pitbull issues callout to Jose Aldo for ‘superfight’ in either MMA or Boxing

Patrício PitbullPatrício Pitbull (33-5 MMA) is now gunning for a battle of the Brazilians with Jose Aldo (31-8 MMA) to find out who is the best out of the featherweight champions, especially since Aldo is now retired and no longer under contract with the UFC. Jose Aldo’s last UFC appearance was at UFC 278 where he […]

Patrício Pitbull

Patrício Pitbull (33-5 MMA) is now gunning for a battle of the Brazilians with Jose Aldo (31-8 MMA) to find out who is the best out of the featherweight champions, especially since Aldo is now retired and no longer under contract with the UFC.

Jose Aldo’s last UFC appearance was at UFC 278 where he squared off against rising featherweight Merab Dvalishvili (15-4 MMA). 

Although coming into the event a betting favourite, the 36-year-old was unable to get his rhythm going as Dvalishvili was able to subdue Aldo’s striking with his much-anticipated wrestling, earning himself a unanimous decision victory on the night.

Despite the disappointing performance, MMA fans weren’t expecting the journey to end just there, as Aldo officially hung up his gloves a few weeks after the bout.

This is all happening while Patrício Pitbull managed to regain his Bellator featherweight championship against AJ McKee and is now set to defend his 145lbs throne for the 15th time against Adam Borics (18-1 MMA) at Bellator 286.

Patrício Pitbull still wants to fight Jose Aldo and doesn’t mind if it’s either MMA or Boxing

Although Patrício Pitbull understands Jose Aldo will remain a legend forever, he believes Aldo has a lot left in the tank and isn’t finished fighting just yet. 

Speaking on this week’s ‘Trocação Franca‘ podcast, Patrício Pitbull congratulated his fellow countryman on ‘a beautiful run’ in Mixed Martial Arts, however, doesn’t believe ‘Junior’s’ retirement isn’t final and is made by others and will eventually return to some form of combat.

You feel there was a spark in his decision [to retire], that it was time to stop, that he had already done a lot for the sport,” Pitbull exclaimed. 

He’s well financially, but I think, for his age, that his fire isn’t out yet. He’ll sit down, enjoy his son that was just born, his daughter, his marriage, and the moment will come where he will have that desire to fight again, and maybe he goes to boxing.

‘There were some talks out there between him and ‘Popo’ [former WBO and WBA champion Acelino Freitas]. He can also do a [MMA] superfight now that he’s not under contract. The world has opened for him one more time.

With the chances for a ‘superfight’ becoming more plausible for Patrício Pitbull, he still feels that it was a missed opportunity not to arrange a fight between them both whilst they were both in their primes.

It would have been good [to fight in our primes], right?‘ Pitbull said. 

It would have been a decider of who really is the best featherweight. We have very similar numbers. Amount of wins, title defences, submissions, knockouts, length of title reign, etc. Even though many people say, ‘Whoever is in the UFC is the best and whoever is in Bellator is the second best,’ it’s impossible to say that unless you put them to fight.

It didn’t happen, time has passed, he no longer has the belt, he stopped fighting, but the future is long, and opportunities are endless. We’re not that old. If it’s a fight between two old guys, it’s cool, we’d be equal. Or in MMA, a superfight, everybody is out of contract. Who knows?‘ (Transcribed by MMAFighting.com)

Would you still be interested in seeing Aldo Vs Pitbull?

Bellator 286 – Patricio Pitbull Defends Title Against Adam Borics, A.J. McKee Makes 155lb Debut Against Spike Carlyle

Patricio PitbullBellator 286 is set to feature former featherweight rivals, Patricio Pitbull and A.J. McKee – however, despite links to a Long Beach trilogy rubber match, the promotional standouts will not share the cage with each other. In lieu, recently minted featherweight champion, Pitbull, will attempt his first title defense since defeating McKee back in April, […]

Patricio Pitbull

Bellator 286 is set to feature former featherweight rivals, Patricio Pitbull and A.J. McKee – however, despite links to a Long Beach trilogy rubber match, the promotional standouts will not share the cage with each other.

In lieu, recently minted featherweight champion, Pitbull, will attempt his first title defense since defeating McKee back in April, drawing the surging Hungarian contender, Adam Borics at Bellator 286 on October 1. in California. 

And as for the hometown favorite, McKee, the former undisputed featherweight champion and Grand Prix tournament victor will share the cage with UFC and Rizin FF alum, Spike Carlyle – making his lightweight division bow. News of the Bellator 286 doubleheader featuring Patricio Pitbull and A.J. McKee was first reported by the Long Beach Press-Telegram.

Sharing a distinct rivalry, Patricio Pitbull initially clashed with McKee in the featherweight Grand Prix finale back in July of last year, dropping his undisputed featherweight title in a first round high kick and subsequent standing guillotine submission loss.

Patricio Pitbull x A.J. McKee 3 has been put on the back burner for the time being

In an immediate title rematch, the veteran, decorated Brazilian headliner Bellator 277 against champion, McKee in April, defeating the Californian in a unanimous decision-earning effort. The loss came as the ever-present Bellator feature, McKee’s first professionally. 

As for incoming featherweight title chaser, Borics, improved to 18-1 as a professional back in March of this year, defeating fellow European standout, Mads Burnell with a unanimous decision headlining win at Bellator 276. 

For Carlyle, the charismatic, San Diego finisher makes his Bellator return against McKee, off the back of an impressive second round guillotine win against Koji Takeda under the Rizin FF banner back in April in Japan. 

14-3 as a professional with seven submission wins to go with six other knockout victories, Carlyle has previously competed for LFA and Cage Warriors to boot, and laned a knockout win over Aalon Cruz in his UFC bow back in February 2020.

Coker Not Optimistic About McKee/Freire Trilogy Despite “Close” Rematch

Despite the tight nature of the featherweight title rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator President Scott Coker doesn’t believe a trilogy fight is “guaranteed.” At Bellator 277 last Friday, two 145-pound titans collided for the second time in a year. Last July, McKee secured a seat at the global featherweight table when…

Continue Reading Coker Not Optimistic About McKee/Freire Trilogy Despite “Close” Rematch at MMA News.

Despite the tight nature of the featherweight title rematch between A.J. McKee and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Bellator President Scott Coker doesn’t believe a trilogy fight is “guaranteed.”

At Bellator 277 last Friday, two 145-pound titans collided for the second time in a year. Last July, McKee secured a seat at the global featherweight table when he became the first man to defeat “Pitbull” since 2016. After five defenses, the Brazilian’s reign came to a close thanks to a guillotine choke at Bellator 263.

Off the back of his championship and Grand Prix glory, and having extended his perfect record to 18-0, McKee called out the top featherweights in the UFC and claimed to be the world’s best at 145 pounds.

While he had a chance to further support that sentiment by adding another blemish to Freire’s impressive résumé, McKee fell short in their rematch, losing a tight decision on the judges’ scorecards. In doing so, the 27-year-old had the 0 on his record removed.

Following the event, promotional kingpin Coker gave his take on what’s since been a highly-debated contest and result. Like many, the South Korean-born American labeled the Bellator 277 main event as “very close.”

“Listen, the judges saw it the way they saw it and he’s the new champ,” Coker said. “As far as I’m concerned, he deserves it. I think it was a very close fight. It was a technical fight. And it’s not my job to judge – it’s for the judges and the state athletic commission to work that out, and that’s what happened. That’s what you saw. You saw the judges call the fight the way they did. I did think it was very close. I was sitting around some of my friends and said, ‘What did you think?’ Half of them said A.J., half of them said ‘Pitbull.’ It was very close.” (h/t MMA Junkie)

Coker Unsure What’s Next For McKee & Freire

With their rivalry sitting level at one win apiece, it would seem a trilogy bout is the logical next step, especially given how close the rematch was. However, with McKee expressing a desire to transition to lightweight, it doesn’t appear to be that simple.

Coker shared that sentiment post-fight, claiming that while he’d love to a book a third date between the Brazilian and the American, it’s far from guaranteed.

With that in mind, the 59-year-old named 17-1 featherweight Ádám Borics, who’s riding a four-fight win streak in the Bellator cage, as a potential challenger for the first defense of Freire’s third reign on the 145-pound throne.

“I’m going to go back and watch this fight and talk to my team,” Coker said. “But as much as we’d love to see a rematch, let’s see how that goes. I can’t really answer that question. If all parties want to do that, we might do it. But it’s not guaranteed. Adam Borics looked great against Mads Burnell (at Bellator 276 in March) — he had a great performance. He had an amazing fight, and we’ll see.”

Would you like to see A.J. McKee and Patricio Freire share the cage for a third time?

Continue Reading Coker Not Optimistic About McKee/Freire Trilogy Despite “Close” Rematch at MMA News.

Bellator 277 Results: AJ Mckee vs. Patricio Pitbull 2 

Aj MckeeLowkick MMA will be bringing you LIVE Bellator 277: AJ McKee vs. Patricio Pitbull 2 results throughout the night (Fri. Apr. 15, 2022) from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA.  The main event of the night will be a rematch between two of the top featherweights in the world, Champion AJ Mckee and #1 […]

Aj Mckee

Lowkick MMA will be bringing you LIVE Bellator 277: AJ McKee vs. Patricio Pitbull 2 results throughout the night (Fri. Apr. 15, 2022) from the SAP Center in San Jose, CA. 

The main event of the night will be a rematch between two of the top featherweights in the world, Champion AJ Mckee and #1 ranked Patricio Pitbull. 
Ten months removed from a contest that shockingly ended in under two minutes when AJ Mckee rocked and then submitted Patricio Pitbull at Bellator 263, the rematch is set for two of the most polarizing fighters in the promotion.

Pitbull has previously held the featherweight title twice and looks eager to regain the gold he lost back in July. He also boasts an impressive seven title defenses and two Bellator tournament victories. Mckee, however, is making his own case to be one of the Bellator greats. Getting his professional start in Bellator, Mckee has accumulated an imposing professional MMA record of 18-0. 

The main event is not the only title fight on the card, as Light Heavyweight Champion Vadim Nemkov takes on Corey ‘Overtime’ Anderson in the co-main event. Coined as the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix final, the winner will not only receive the Light Heavyweight Championship, but also a cash prize of 1 million dollars. 

The undercard also features a pair of interesting fights as #4 ranked Featherweight Aaron Pico takes on Bellator newcomer Adli Edwards in a 150-pound catchweight contest. Opening the card, #5 ranked Heavyweight Tim Johnson looks to slug it out with #4 ranked Linton Vassell.

Main Card (Showtime/BBC Iplayer – 7pm pt)

Featherweight World Championship – C AJ Mckee (18-0) vs. #1 Patricio Pitbull (15-5) 

Results: 

Light Heavyweight Bout World Grand Prix Final – C Vadim Nemkov vs. #1 Corey Anderson (16-5) 

Results: 

150-Pound Contract Weight Bout – #4 Aaron Pico (9-3) vs. Aldi Edwards (9-1) 

Results – 

Heavyweight Bout – #5 Tim Johnson (15-8) vs. #4 Linton Vassell (22-8, 1 NC) 

Results: 

Preliminary Card (Bellator Youtube/Showtime Youtube/Pluto TV – 4pm pt)

Heavyweight Bout – #7 Tyrell Fortune (11-2, 1 NC) vs. Rakim Cleveland (21-14-1) 

Results: 

Light Heavyweight Bout – Dovletdzhan Yagshimuradov (18-7-1) vs. Rafael Carvalho (16-6) 

Results:

140-Pound Contract Weight Bout – Gaston Bolanos (5-3) vs. Daniel Carey (7-5) 

Results: 

Welterweight Bout – #9 Kyle Crutchmer (8-1) vs. Michael Lombardo (12-2, 1NC) 

Results: 

Bantamweight Bout – Bobby Seronio III (1-0) vs. Calob Ramirez (1-1)

Results: 

Welterweight Bout – Tyson Miller (2-0) vs. Rhalan Gracie (0-3) 

Results: 

Flyweight Bout – Edwin De Los Santos (1-0) vs. Alberto Mendez (0-0,1NC) 

Results: 

Featherweight Bout – Socrates Hernandez (0-1) vs. Rogelio Luna (Pro Debut)

Results: 

Featherweight Bout – Laird Anderson (1-0) vs. JT Donaldson (4-5)

Results: 

Light Heavyweight Bout – Theo Haig (Pro Debut) vs. Alan Benson (1-2)

Results: