{"id":21978,"date":"2025-02-20T08:45:29","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T07:45:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=21978"},"modified":"2025-02-20T08:45:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T07:45:32","slug":"bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/","title":{"rendered":"Bellator Champion Patricio \u2018Pitbull\u2019 Joins The UFC Featherweight Roster; Debut Fight Against High Ranked Opponent Announced!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/mma\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>UFC<\/a>&lsquo;s featherweight division has seen its share of legendary champions, from Jose Aldo&rsquo;s decade-long dominance to Alexander Volkanovski&rsquo;s recent reign. Now, after years of speculation and fan debates, one of the most decorated champions from outside the UFC, Patricio Freire, is finally making his way to the octagon.<\/p><p>Nicknamed &lsquo;Pitbull,&rsquo; this man has dominated Bellator&rsquo;s featherweight division with an iron fist and collected an impressive 36-7 record. He recently broke free from his PFL contract and signed with the UFC. This move brings back memories of when Eddie Alvarez made the jump and shocked everyone by becoming UFC lightweight champion, proving that champions from other promotions can indeed hang with the UFC elite.<\/p><p>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/dricus-du-plessis-comments-on-former-opponents-critique-of-his-fighting-style\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>Dricus Du Plessis Comments On Former Opponents Critique Of His Fighting Style<\/a><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Battle of Technical Strikers Awaits<\/h2><p>The UFC isn&rsquo;t giving &lsquo;Pitbull&rsquo; any warm-up fights. A fighter of his caliber is diving straight into the deep end against the ever technical Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314. Rodriguez, known for his spinning attacks and that incredible last-second elbow knockout of Korean Zombie, will be a serious test for the Bellator veteran. But Patricio Freire isn&rsquo;t just here to participate. He is already calling himself the<em> &ldquo;future king&rdquo;<\/em> of the division.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Former two-division Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull will make his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 in Miami, Dana White announced. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/HcCKPbKmYi\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/HcCKPbKmYi<\/a><\/p>&mdash; ESPN MMA (@espnmma) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/espnmma\/status\/1892430977504252144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>February 20, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>The timing couldn&rsquo;t be better, as the card also features Alexander Volkanovski facing Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title. &lsquo;Pitbull&rsquo; has been vocal about wanting to prove himself against the UFC&rsquo;s best, naming fighters like Brian Ortega, Movsar Evloev, and the current title contenders.But the UFC featherweight division isn&rsquo;t exactly a walk in the park. This is evident from Max Holloway, who looked unstoppable until he met Volkanovski.<br><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Journey To The UFC<\/h2><p>What makes this story even more interesting is how &lsquo;Pitbull&rsquo; managed to negotiate his way out of the PFL contract when they weren&rsquo;t giving him enough fights. It shows that even in 2025, fighters are getting better at managing their careers and making power moves.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Patricio Pitbull sends a message to the featherweight division after signing with the UFC:<br><br>\"It's time to conquer a new crown. UFC featherweights, your future king has arrived!\" &#128064;&#128064;<br><br>(via. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatricioPitbull?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>@PatricioPitbull<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC314?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#UFC314<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#UFC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/MMA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>#MMA<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XrXPxrA4xd\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/XrXPxrA4xd<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChampRDS\/status\/1892448745473581327?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>February 20, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>Dana White, who usually plays hardball with champions from other promotions, couldn&rsquo;t resist adding such a prestigious name to the roster. The last time we saw such excitement around a champion from another promotion entering the UFC was when Michael Chandler made his explosive debut. &lsquo;Pitbull&rsquo; actually holds a win over Chandler from their Bellator days, which adds another interesting layer to his UFC journey!<\/p><p>The featherweight division has been crying out for fresh blood, and they don&rsquo;t come much fresher than Patricio Freire, the multiple-time Bellator champion with knockout power and a chip on his shoulder!<\/p><p><strong>(Image Credit: Jerry Lai &ndash; Imagn Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bellator Champ Patricio &#8216;Pitbull&#8217; enters UFC Featherweight division, debuting against top-ranked contender\u2014exciting battle on the horizon!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":22013,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[3712,3191,2637],"class_list":["post-21978","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-patricio-freire","tag-ufc-314","tag-yair-rodriguez"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Bellator Champion Patricio &lsquo;Pitbull&rsquo; Joins The UFC Featherweight Roster; Debut Fight Against High Ranked Opponent Announced! - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Bellator Champ Patricio &#039;Pitbull&#039; enters UFC Featherweight division, debuting against top-ranked contender&mdash;exciting battle on the horizon!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bellator Champion Patricio &lsquo;Pitbull&rsquo; Joins The UFC Featherweight Roster; Debut Fight Against High Ranked Opponent Announced! - The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Bellator Champ Patricio &#039;Pitbull&#039; enters UFC Featherweight division, debuting against top-ranked contender&mdash;exciting battle on the horizon!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-20T08:45:32+01:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/USATSI_12691124_168415981_lowres.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1650\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1294\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zaid Quraishi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29\"},\"headline\":\"Bellator Champion Patricio \u2018Pitbull\u2019 Joins The UFC Featherweight Roster; Debut Fight Against High Ranked Opponent Announced!\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-20T07:45:29+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-20T07:45:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/\"},\"wordCount\":465,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/USATSI_12691124_168415981_lowres.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Patricio Freire\",\"UFC 314\",\"Yair Rodriguez\"],\"articleSection\":[\"MMA\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/bellator-champion-patricio-pitbull-joins-the-ufc-featherweight-roster-debut-fight-against-high-ranked-opponent-announced\/\",\"name\":\"Bellator Champion Patricio \u2018Pitbull\u2019 Joins The UFC Featherweight Roster; Debut Fight Against High Ranked Opponent Announced! 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