Tag: Patricio Freire

Patricio Freire explains why he accepted short-notice fight in Japan: ‘If the challenge is good, I’m going to fight’

Bellator featherweight champion Patricio “Pitbull” was supposted to be cornerning his brother, but ended up accepting a short-notice fight.

[autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] traveled to Japan to be a cornerman, but ended up as an unexpected addition to this weekend’s second cross-promotional event with Bellator and Rizin.

Patricio was supposed to be playing the role of a coach in his brother Patricky’s corner, who competes in the main event of Bellator X Rizin 2 Saturday against Roberto de Souza, a short-notice replacement for A.J. McKee. However, after a few conversations with promotion officials, he will be stepping into the ring to compete.

Freire (35-6 MMA) competed just over a month ago at Bellator 297, where he lost a bantamweight title fight by unanimous decision to champ Sergio Pettis. It was a bid for dual champion status, as “Pitbull” holds the Bellator featherweight title. It was also an opportunity to make history as the first fighter to win a major title in three weight classes in the same promotion.

“I’ve been training since my last fight, so I didn’t stop training. I’m always ready,” Freire told reporters at a Bellator X Rizin 2 news conference Thursday evening. “… I was supposed to be in my brother’s corner, but you guys got me to fight, and I love to fight here. So, thank you very much.”

According to Bellator president Scott Coker, Freire initially didn’t accept the fight. However, things changed when Rizin president Nobuyuki Sakakibara was able to convince “Pitbull” to step into the ring. It will be the first time the Pitbull Brothers have fought on the same card since 2007.

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On just a few days’ notice, Freire will attempt to bounce back into the win column by taking on a catchweight fight at 154 pounds against Chihiro Suzuki (10-3 MMA) Sunday at Super Rizin 2, which takes place after the Bellator X Rizin 2 card at Saitama Super Arena. It will be his third straight fight at a different weight, as his last two bouts were at bantamweight and featherweight respectively.

A champion shifting weight classes so often is not something typically seen in the sport, especially when their upcoming fight was preceeded by a bout essentially two weight classes lower. But for “Pitbull,” the weight isn’t a concern, as long as the fight itself piques his interest and will test his skills as a fighter.

“Doesn’t matter the division,” Freire said. “I like challenges. I was here as a corner, but now I’m going to fight. So, if the challenge is good, I’m going to fight.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Major changes to Bellator X Rizin 2: A.J. McKee out; Patricky Freire faces RIZIN champ; Patricio ‘Pitbull’ added

Major changes tweak Bellator X Rizin 2 in Japan, including the removal of A.J. McKee and random addition of Patricio Freire in a new bout.

Saturday’s Bellator x Rizin 2 has been hit with a pair of changes to the lineup during fight week, including the loss of one half of the main event.

[autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], who was set to take on [autotag]Patricky Freire[/autotag] in a lightweight grand prix quarterfinal bout, is now out with a medical issue. Stepping in to face Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) on short notice is RIZIN lightweight champion [autotag]Roberto de Souza[/autotag] (15-2 MMA, 0-1 BMMA) in the new main event, the promotions announced during a joint news conference Wednesday local time.

Details about McKee’s medical issues were not disclosed, but a Bellator official told MMA Junkie he will be an alternate in the tournament moving forward. De Souza is now officially in the Bellator lightweight grand prix, and the bout against Patricky Freire will be five rounds. However, due to the short-notice nature of the change, the bout will be contested at 161 pounds.

In addition to a shift in the headliner, a late addition will see the other “Pitbull,” Bellator featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-6 MMA), take on [autotag]Chihiro Suzuki[/autotag] (10-3) in a 154-pound catchweight contest – an additional bout added to the event on just days’ notice. This bout will take place on the RIZIN portion of the event, which follows the five-fight Bellator segment of the card.

Bellator X Rizin 2 takes place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The event airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET. The co-feature bout will crown an inaugural Bellator flyweight champion, as Kyoji Horiguchi takes on Makoto Shinryu.

With the changes, the Bellator X Rizin 2 lineup includes:

  • Patricky Freire vs. Roberto de Souza – lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
  • Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Makoto Shinryu – inaugural flyweight title
  • Magomed Magomedov vs. Danny Sabatello
  • Veta Arteaga vs. Kana Watanabe
  • Andrey Koreshkov vs. Lorenz Larkin

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator x Rizin 2.

Patricky Freire hopes to draw Usman Nurmagomedov rematch in grand prix final: ‘It’s a good fight to make history’

Crossing paths with Usman Nurmagomedov in the grand prix final could make a storybook ending for Patricio Freire.

Crossing paths with [autotag]Usman Nurmagomedov[/autotag] in the grand prix final could make a storybook ending for [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag].

Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) lost his lightweight title to Nurmagomedov in his most recent outing at Bellator 288 last November, and now has to get through a grand prix to win it back.

Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 6-0 BMMA), who submitted Benson Henderson in the opening round, is slated to face Brent Primus in the semifinals. If both men can get through their side of the bracket, 37-year-old Freire hinted that it could be the final fight of his career.

“It’s a good fight to make history,” Freire told MMA Junkie Radio on rematching Nurmagomedov. “Take my belt again, take $1 million, maybe finish my career, I don’t know. Let’s see.”

First up for Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA) is A.J. McKee (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) in the opening round of the 155-pound grand prix at Bellator X Rizin 2 on July 30 near Tokyo. Waiting for the winner of Freire vs. McKee is Alexandr Shabliy, who scored a TKO of Tofiq Musayev to advance to the semifinals.

Freire watched his brother Patricio split his two appearances with McKee, where he regained his featherweight title in a close decision win. McKee has since moved up to lightweight, but Freire isn’t expecting anything different from what he’s already seen.

“He don’t change nothing,” Freire said. “He fights the same style. Maybe he tried to change something, but I don’t believe too much.”

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A.J. McKee on Patricio Freire: ‘I still think we’ve got unfinished business’ with series tied 1-1

A.J. McKee’s focus is on the Bellator lightweight grand prix, but he’s willing to return to featherweight for a Patricio Freire trilogy.

For [autotag]A.J. McKee[/autotag], his story with [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] is still being written.

McKee (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) and Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) have split their two fights against each other, with McKee submitting Freire to win the featherweight grand prix in 2021 and “Pitbull” avenging his loss i to regain his belt in a unanimous decision win.

McKee has since moved up to lightweight, and Freire eventually dropped down to bantamweight. Freire failed in his bid to claim a Bellator title in a third division when he lost to champion Sergio Pettis in June, but that hasn’t changed McKee’s mind on a potential trilogy.

“I wanted Patricio to do good,” McKee told MMA Junkie Radio. “It sucks he took an ‘L.’ Obviously nobody wants to lose, but I still think we’ve got unfinished business – one-one, he was the champ-champ. I’m looking forward to becoming the champ-champ myself, and then maybe I’ll come back down to ’45, and we can fight that trilogy out at 145.”

McKee (20-1 MMA, 20-1 BMMA) meets Freire’s brother, former lightweight champion Patricky Freire (24-11 MMA, 15-9 BMMA), in the opening round of the 155-pound grand prix at Bellator X Rizin 2 on July 30 near Tokyo.

While his focus is on lightweight, McKee is willing to return  to featherweight to complete his rubber match with Freire or take on any notable challenge.

“I can do a couple more fights maybe at ’45, but for the most part, I’m pretty much done with ’45,” McKee said. “I feel I’ve made a pretty good statement at 145 pounds that the division and, anybody in the world, I know I’m the best, period.

“If anybody wants to test it, then I’m more than willing to do it. I’m more than capable to do it. Other than that, I feel being named the best 145 pounder is hands down. That’s not a question. So, for now, lightweight is my home, and that’s where I’m willing to work to be called the best at that division now.”

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Bellator 297 post-event facts: Vadim Nemkov achieves rare feat in dominant title defense

Check out all the facts from Bellator 297, where Vadim Nemkov took another step toward arguably the greatest resume in Bellator history.

Bellator’s lone event of the month went down Friday with Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, and it was arguably the promotion’s biggest show of the year thus far.

Two championship bouts topped the card, and both men who entered the cage with belts, lefts with them, too. [autotag]Vadim Nemkov[/autotag] (16-2 MMA, 9-0 BMMA) handily defeated [autotag]Yoel Romero[/autotag] (15-7 MMA, 2-2 BMMA) by unanimous decision in the headliner to retain the light heavyweight strap, while [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] (23-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) kept hold of bantamweight gold with a unanimous decision over [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] (35-6 MMA, 22-6 BMMA).

For more on the numbers, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from Bellator 297.

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Scott Coker prefers Patricio Freire at featherweight after Bellator 297 loss, teases Aaron Pico fight

Bellator president Scott Coker will leave the decision up to Patricio Freire, but he prefers “Pitbull” returns to featherweight.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] attempted something historic and came up short.

While Bellator president Scott Coker appreciates Freire’s crack at gold in a third weight division, he thinks it’s best “Pitbull” returns back to where he’s found the most success throughout his career.

“The one thing with Patricio is we have to sit down and have a conversation,” Coker told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “Are you going to stay at 135? Do you want to go back to your normal weight at 145? He might feel more comfortable at 145. Maybe that’s where he should be. If he fights at 135, he’s going to run into speed all the time. So maybe he’ll be better off at 145.

Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) dropped to bantamweight for the first time at Bellator 297 when he lost a unanimous decision to Sergio Pettis (23-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) in the main event Friday at Winstar Arena. Had Freire won, he would be the first three-weight world champion to hold titles in the same promotion.

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Ultimately, Coker said Freire will be able to choose his own destiny, especially considering he’s the longest-tenured fighter on the promotion’s roster – a part of the company since Bellator 15 in April 2010.

“I can tell you what I think, which is he should go up to 145,” Coker said. “These young kids are coming up. Speed kills and they’re super fast. To me, you’ve been so dominant at 145. Let somebody come up to your weight and test you out and see how it works for them. Again, he’s one of the fighters in this company we’ll always sit down and listen to, because he deserves that respect. He’s been around a long time. He’s been around for so much, we’re going to give him that conversation when the time comes. We’ll let him tell us what he wants to do, then say our input, then figure it out.”

Should Freire choose featherweight, there’s one fight in particular that Coker finds intriguing whether it happens now or later.

“Listen, it’s no secret. I’d love to have him fight Aaron Pico at some point in the 145-pound weight class,” Coker said.

Pico (11-4 MMA, 11-4 BMMA) fights Sept. 23 at Bellator 299 against Pedro Carvalho. He most recently competed in April when he defeated James Gonzalez by unanimous decision.

The current Bellator featherweight champion, Freire had a three-fight winning streak snapped with the defeat Friday.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Sergio Pettis def. Patricio Freire at Bellator 297: Best photos

Check out these photos highlighting Sergio Pettis’ bantamweight title defense over Patricio Freire at Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXm3gutbf8E

Check out these photos highlighting [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag]’ bantamweight title defense over [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag] at Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena. (Photos courtesy of Bellator MMA/Lucas Noonan)

Bellator 297 results: Sergio Pettis denies Patricio Freire’s historic attempt, sets up Patchy Mix fight

Sergio Pettis denied Patricio Freire’s attempt at history Friday when he swept the judges’ scorecards in Chicago.

CHICAGO – [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] played historic spoiler Friday when he swept the scorecards and defeated featherweight champion [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag].

In the Bellator 297 main event at Wintrust Arena, Pettis (23-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) defeated Freire (35-5 MMA, 23-5 BMMA) via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45) to retain the bantamweight title.

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The first round was competitive, as Pettis utilized his striking and Freire found success with a caught kick into a takedown. In Round 2, the momentum changed dramatically when Pettis landed a late spinning wheel kick to the head that put Freire on the retreat. Freire wobbled backward to the fence and avoided a finishing blow until the horn sounded.

For the remainder of the fight, Pettis found success with his kicks and jab, the latter of which sliced and diced the face of Freire. While Freire found some success with his boxing and cage control, it wasn’t enough to sway the judges in his favor.

When the official decision read, Freire dropped to his knees in disbelief while an elated Pettis interviewed with John McCarthy.

Pettis successfully defends the title in his first attempt. He won the bantamweight championship in December 2021, but months later suffered a knee injury that kept him out of action for 14 months.

The win aligns Pettis with a unification bout against interim champion Patchy Mix, who the bantamweight grand prix with a knockout of Raufeon Stots in April. The two fighters squared off after the bout.

Freire falls short of history in an attempt to become the first fighter to win championships in three weight classes for the same major promotion. He currently holds the promotion’s featherweight title and held the lightweight title from 2019 to 2021.

The up-to-the-minute Bellator 297 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.

Twitter reacts to Sergio Pettis’ title defense vs Patricio Freire at Bellator 297

The MMA community praised Sergio Pettis after he shut down Patricio Freire’s bid at history at Bellator 297.

[autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] rejected [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag]’s bid at history on Friday when he defended his bantamweight belt in the Bellator 297 co-headliner.

Pettis (23-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) returned from an 18-month hiatus due to injury and registered his first title defense courtesy of a lopsided victory over Freire (35-6 MMA, 22-6 BMMA), who was unsuccessful in his attempt to capture a third Bellator belt at Wintrust Arena in Chicago.

Check below for the top Twitter reactions to Pettis’ victory over Freire at Bellator 297.

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Bellator 297: Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Freire odds, picks and predictions

Analyzing Friday’s Bellator 297 odds and lines between Sergio Pettis vs. Patricio Freire with MMA picks, tips and predictions.

In a bantamweight championship bout in the co-main event, Sergio Pettis and Patricio Freire meet Friday at Bellator 297 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Bellator 297: Pettis vs. Freire odds, and make our expert picks and predictions.

The prelims are on live streaming on Bellator’s YouTube channel at 6 p.m. ET, with the main card on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET.

Freire, the current Bellator featherweight champ, had made one successful defense of that strap when he topped Adam Borics at Bellator 286 in October. His last fight was a unanimous-decision win over Kleber Koike Erbst in a non-title bout on New Year’s Eve. “Pitbull” has won 10 of his past 11 bouts overall dating back to April 21, 2017.

Pettis took the bantamweight title belt off of Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258 in early May 2021, winning by unanimous decision. He defended the strap with a 4th-round KO/TKO over Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 in Dec. 2021 in his most recent bout. The champ missed all of 2022 due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Bellator 297: Pettis vs. Freire odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 8 a.m. ET.

  • Fight result (2-way line): Pettis +150 (bet $100 to win $150) | Freire -185 (bet $185 to win $100)

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Bellator 297: Pettis vs. Freire picks and predictions

Records: Pettis (22-5-0) | Freire (35-5-0)

Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)

PETTIS (+150) enters this fight after the long road back from ACL surgery and rehab. The last time we saw him at 135 pounds, he was dropping Horiguchi to retain his strap.

Freire is looking to make history by winning a title in a third division at Bellator, but one of the greatest of all time in the company will have to wait. Pettis is hungry to get back into action, and he is a tremendous value as an underdog.

Pettis should be able to go this one done, but don’t be surprised to see him have to wow the judges and get it done on points.

Visit MMA Junkie for more fight news and analysis.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow Kevin J. Erickson on Twitter. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter and us on Facebook.

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