Pitbull gets submission. Photo: Bellator.
It’s revenge time for Patrício “Pitbull” Freire. Having beaten Daniel Strauss at Bellator last Saturday, “Pitbull”, was crowned featherweight GP champion and secured a shot at the best and his dreamed-of rematch with Joe Warren, the man responsible for the only wrinkle in his career. At 23 years of age, the motivated Patrício doesn’t hide his desire to wipe away the only “stain” on his seventeen-win record.
“I want to the belt at all costs and there will be a special added taste to it,” said the Brazilian. “Having revenge for my only loss and at the same time becoming champion will be a double dream come true.”
On his way to the Bellator featherweight GP final Patrício, Patrício took out Wilson Reis and Gerogi Karakhanyan with a knockout and technical knockout, respectively. In the final, against Daniel Straus, the Brazilian took the nod from the judges by unanimous decision. Strategically, Pitbull opted to take a more cautious route, with lots of movement and explosive moments, leaving little margin for error.
“He (Straus) is really strategic, he likes fighting for fifteen minutes, scoring points and dragging the fight out to the end,” he remarked. “I didn’t go all out because he is in good shape, can fight well from start to finish. I played a cautious game so I could take the title and leave no room for mistakes.”
Patrício fought one week after his brother, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, who lost to Michael Chandler in a lightweight duel. His brother’s loss, as with his own loss against Warren, taught some lessons to the Brazilian, who claims he’s becoming ever-more familiar with the American’s style of fighting.
“We thrive on such challenges, having guys with ‘tricker’ games to beat every day,” he stated. “The Americans have a strong point: sometimes they are technically inferior, but they have extraordinary physical conditioning. Now we’re working on that to perform better.”
Pitbull revealed that he may fight July 23 at Bellator 50, or in early August. The short break before the rematch, to the athlete, is welcome. “It’s even a good thing that it won’t be so long, that way I can keep my rhythm,” he declared.
After a short rest break in Natal, Brazil, Pitbull will head to Rio to spend ten days training at the Nogueira brothers’ training center. Then, he heads back to Black House in San Diego, to carry on with his preparations. Happy at Bellator, Patrício has nothing but praise for the promotion.
“Bellator outdoes itself with every event. It lacks nothing compared to other events, they’re super professional and the production is fantastic,” he said in praise. “At other championships, only the guys who fight pretty or against famous guys get a shot at the title. At Bellator, it isn’t like that. It’s a normal competition, where you have to qualify, make it through the quarterfinals, semifinals, and only thus will you earn a shot at the title. That’s the way it should be, no one cuts in line,” he said in conclusion.
