Success story: Bellator signs Patricio and Patricky Freire to long term contracts
On Wednesday, February 20, 2019, Bellator MMA officially announced both Patricio Pitbull Freire and Patricky Pitbull Freire, better known as the “Pitbull Brothers,” had signed an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight extension to insure they would be continuing on with the promotion. No doubt this news put a smile on the face of their spouses, when at times the spouses of these pro athletes must be under a lot of stress wishing and hoping their man can keep winning while remaining injury free. Coping with a loss or perhaps the tailing off of a promising career is so difficult.
Like the Hollywood actor who is struggling to get a part, any part, so they can put food on the table, these fighters are constantly under a lot of stress to remain marketable. They might even want to change their name to standout from the rest, or be remembered as these two brothers did, the Pitbulls. Years back they decided to go with this tactic of using the alias that would sound intimidating, “Pitbull”, and boy was that a stroke of genius.
The 31-year-old, 5’5″ tall Patricio Pitbull (28-4 MMA, 16-4 BMMA) is Bellator’s featherweight champion who has now won three in a row and now they want him to jeopardize everything he’s worked for and move up in weight to 155 lbs. to face the same reigning lightweight champion “Iron” Michael Chandler (19-4 MMA, 16-4 BMMA) that his older brother, bigger brother, lost to twice. If you or I or anyone else were Patricio’s manager we’d all have to agree this is a head-scratcher. The Pitbull camp must be a bit delusional in their thinking their fighter, Patricio, can defeat the bigger man.
Meanwhile, Patricio Pitbull has already been giving Michael Chandler a good tongue lashing through his Instagram account:
patriciopitbull
“🇺🇸 Now it’s official, Michael Chandler! Everything you’ve said will have an end May 11th. I’m gonna stop you and your tongue. I will look into your eyes and see you despair. I’ll leave your body soulless. I’ll damage you, I won’t have pity nor mercy. I’ll break your pathetic face. 🇧🇷 Agora é oficial, Michael Chandler! Tudo que vc falou vai ter um final dia 11 de maio. Vou frear vc e sua língua. Vou olhar nos seus olhos e ver você se desesperar. Deixarei seu corpo sem alma. Vou causar danos em vc, não terei pena e muito menos piedade. Vou quebrar essa sua cara patética.”
Bellator 221, Patricio Pitbull Freire vs. Michael Chandler will take place on May 11, 2019 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. The main card will stream live on DAZN following the preliminary matches which will appear on MMAjunkie.
As mentioned, Chandler now holds two victories – including a “Knockout of the Year” candidate in June 2016 – over Freire’s older brother, Patricky Freire. Those two fights were the key igniter in this rivalry, which has included an endless barrage of back-and-forth harsh words on social media. The only way it could get any worse is if you were to get our dear President Donald Trump involved.
They’ll finally get their opportunity to fight in less than two months, and there will be so much at stake. Freire could get an opportunity to join Ryan Bader as the only simultaneous two-division champion in Bellator history. Moreover, he would break out of a tie with Chandler for most victories in Bellator history (16). But, it seems getting revenge for beating his brother is more important to Patricio than anything.
“When I think about the talent on the Bellator roster, the Pitbull brothers are two of the fighters that immediately come to mind,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “They started early on in their careers at Bellator and climbed to the top of their respective divisions. They’ve come to represent what this promotion is all about. I’m thrilled that we will continue to see them compete inside the Bellator cage for many years to come!”
Patricio Pitbull: “There are a lot of people on the Bellator roster that I want to put my hands on and the first on the list is Michael Chandler who I’m fighting on May 11th, so renewing (my contract) made perfect sense for me. I’m happy with the agreement and the plans for the future. Of all the fighters currently active on the promotion, I’m with Bellator the longest and been the most successful. I plan to set that bar even higher. For years, I’ve said ‘I’d become the number one in the world here.’ If anyone still has any doubt, keep an eye on the next chapters.”
A two-time featherweight champion, Patricio has competed for the promotion 20 times – winning 16 of those outings – and has successfully defended his belt three times since reclaiming it at Bellator 178 against Daniel Straus. Most recently, he defeated Emmanuel Sanchez winning by a unanimous decision at Bellator 209 in Tel Aviv. Having earned a finish in 20 of his 28 wins, the reigning champion always brings an exciting style which fans appreciate. Patricio will now move up in weight to challenge the current champion Michael Chandler for his lightweight title when Bellator returns to the Allstate Arena in Chicago on May 11.
At one time, both of the Freire brothers trained locally and the only one who had some difficulty was Patricky, who was beaten twice by Derek Anderson of Team Xplode, Escondido and as mentioned lost twice to Michael Chandler while Chandler was training at the Alliance Training Center in Chula Vista, Calif.
Patricky Pitbull added, “I’ve set the goal of becoming world champion and setting records. I’m already the fighter with the most finishes and fights in the organization and I don’t plan on letting anyone catch up to me. I have grudges to settle and names to add to my belt. I’m looking to make some noise in three weight classes, so expect the best from me! I’m glad to have reached a new agreement with Bellator and very excited for what’s to come.”
A perennial lightweight contender since joining Bellator in 2011, the 33-year-old Patricky made an immediate impact by knocking out two veterans and then competing in two tournament finals. Additionally, he holds the Bellator record for most fights with 21 and knockout wins with 10, including the highlight-reel finishes over Ryan Couture and David Rickels. His most impressive run came recently when he strung together seven wins in his last eight bouts.
