Patricio Pitbull soaks in the scene at the UFC 314 press conference at Michelob ULTRA Arena on March 7, 2025, in Las Vegas. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)
(Chris Unger via Getty Images)
In the spring of 2010, almost 15 years to the day before Saturday’s UFC 314 pay-per-view, a 22-year-old Patricio Pitbull left Brazil for the first time to compete. He traveled to Connecticut, of all places, to partake in the Bellator Season 2 featherweight tournament against a Canadian fellow named WiIliam Romero. As a trademark jiu-jitsu specialist from Brazil, he tapped Romero quickly. A heel hook in the first round.
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It was his first major triumph.
Two months later he lost a split decision to Joe Warren in the featherweight finals, which was his first big setback. Within a two-month span, Pitbull experienced the highs and lows of fighting, a back-and-forth that would become a working theme throughout his career for the next 15 years. It’s followed him all the way to the UFC, where he debuts against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 as a multi-time, two-division champion looking to add one more title to his collection in the twilight of a remarkable career.
How did Pitbull — the very picture of perseverance — arrive here?
“I couldn’t tell you something specific, but I think that it’s just that I want to always be the best,” he says. “I want to be perfect. The reason for my entire life is that I want to be the best in everything that I do.”
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This all started long before he took off his shoes for money. This started way back in Mossoro in the early 1990s, at the beer gut of Brazil’s geography that protrudes into the Atlantic, Rio Grande do Norte, where he and his brother, Patricky, would brawl at the drop of a hat before either was old enough to read Dr. Seuss. The two were always throwing hands, head-locking each other and tossing each other to the other side of the room whenever parental heads were turned. It was contentious in the Pitbull household. You might say that the Pitbull brothers, whose birthname is Freire, had what’s called a natural aptitude for fighting.
Unofficially, Patricio had a thousand amateur fights with Patricky, an endless battle that raged on even (especially?) as the brothers formed their own gym in 2010.
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“It’s too many to count,” Patricio says. “I really can’t tell you how many times we fought. It was daily for many reasons, for every reason, and for many years. And I see this [same thing] with my two sons right now. They are just like me and Patricky were back then — they fight for everything.
“And then when we started training martial arts, it wasn’t just brothers, it became real fights — we would take each other down, we would look for submissions, we would do everything, but we would avoid punching to the face. Everything else was allowed. And so, I can say that my biggest and my longest sparring partner has been my brother.”
The “want to always be the best” turned Patricio into a traveling salesman for a little while there. He’s been through every bible belt, backwater and tornado alley in America. Concho, Oklahoma? Check. Yuma, Arizona? Check. Mulvane, Kansas? Check, check, check. He’s won a whopping 24 times since his Bellator debut, distinguishing him as one of the most iconic names in the company’s history. He also lost seven times.
That’s a 24-7 record, for a guy who has been at it 24/7.
Patricio Pitbull is the most decorated fighter in Bellator history. (Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images)
(MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images via Getty Images)
He has lived through the Bjorn Rebney days, where he jumped into another featherweight tournament — this time the Bellator Season 4 tourney, which he won in 2011 — and lived to tell about it. Though he lost his first try at a title in 2013, again via a split decision, this time to Pat Curran, he kept going.
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The faces and places breezed by. Mike Kogan. Rich Chou. Lake Charles, Louisiana. Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Temecula, California. Deserts and reservations. Another tournament, this one the Season 9 featherweight tournament, and Pitbull won again. And this time as MMA’s Sisyphus made his way back to challenge Curran again for the title in 2014, he pushed the boulder right over the mountaintop.
He beat Curran to win his first belt.
Then it was Scott Coker. Farther off locales, across the pond. Rome. Tel Aviv. He lost the belt to Daniel Straus, and won it back from Daniel Straus. In between he lost a weight-jump lark at 155 pounds against Benson Henderson.
In 2019, he added the lightweight title to his collection by defeating Michael Chandler, a former Bellator fighter who has found success in the UFC. Pitbull, after years of competing with the Pitbull brand, has now made his way to the UFC just before his 38th birthday.
“I was saddened by the end of Bellator, but parting ways with PFL didn’t bother me,” he explains. “When Bellator was declared dead, so was my connection with them. Joining the UFC is a dream come true for me. I have always dreamed of this moment since I was a child, and now it’s finally happening. I feel confident in my career and believe that the timing is perfect for me to shine in this organization.”
Pitbull has faced numerous challenges throughout his career, showcasing his resilience as a fighter. After holding two titles and defending his featherweight belt five times, he set his sights on a UFC crossover. How would he fare against top fighters like Alexander Volkanovski, Jose Aldo, and Max Holloway?
Despite the previous divide between Bellator and the UFC, Pitbull’s dream became a reality when he lost and reclaimed the title in fights against A.J. McKee in 2021 and 2022. He ventured into the bantamweight division but fell short against Sergio Pettis. A brief stint in Japan resulted in back-to-back losses, a first in his career.
From Long Beach to Saitama, Japan, to Belfast, Northern Ireland, Pitbull continued to showcase his skill by knocking out Jeremy Kennedy in March 2024. Following disagreements with the PFL, he publicly requested his release, leading him to Miami for UFC 314. Despite facing setbacks and injuries, Pitbull remains resilient and determined, feeling as youthful and driven as ever.
“I still have the same passion and determination that I had as a kid,” he reflects. “I believe I have many more years ahead of me in this sport. While some fighters may retire early due to injuries, I have been fortunate and taken good care of myself to remain among the elite.”
With a smile that reflects the wisdom of his experiences, Pitbull looks ahead to the future, ready to continue his journey in the UFC. sentence: Please come to the meeting at 3:00 PM.