Ahead of his Octagon debut at UFC 314 in two weeks, Patrício Pitbull (36-7) has been discussing the motivation behind his move from Bellator/PFL to the UFC.
Pitbull (real name: Patricio Freire) recently announced that he has signed with the world leader, and the 37-year-old is set to make his first appearance inside the Octagon when he faces former featherweight title challenger Yair Rodríguez (19-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on April 12.
The Brazilian veteran enjoyed four separate runs as Bellator featherweight champion between 2011 and 2024, winning a record fifteen world title fights within the promotion during that period.
Pitbull negotiated his release from his PFL contract earlier this year and stated that he would either sign with the UFC or walk away from the sport entirely, something he confirmed to Megan Olivi during an interview this week for the UFC's YouTube channel.
"Because I had already achieved all of my objectives", Pitbull told Olivi when asked if it was true that he had been seriously contemplating retirement. "So, for me, it didn't make sense to keep fighting. I wasn't fighting for money anymore, thanks be to God.
"In my victorious career we managed to achieve a very good financial return in the organizations where I spent my time. But for me, I was missing a trophy on my shelf and that was the one from the UFC. If I were to continue fighting for money in other organizations, it wouldn't make sense to me anymore. So, this is the firewood that was missing to burn inside my heart".
Patricio Pitbull Has Championship Ambitions in the UFC
Pitbull is set to face Rodríguez on the undercard of a stacked pay-per-view event, which will be headlined by the featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.
With Ilia Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) set to vacate the 145-pound title and move permanently to the lightweight division, the featherweight division is undergoing significant changes. A host of potential challengers are lining up to face the winner of the UFC 314 main event, and Pitbull revealed that he has been closely watching all of them while waiting to sign with the UFC.
"Yes, I was watching all of the top fifteen", Pitbull told Olivi. "Movsar Evloev, Aljamain Sterling, Yair Rodriguez, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes. All these guys I was watching very closely because I knew a fight offer could come up really soon and i had to be ready for any of them".
Yair Rodriguez currently sits in fifth place in the featherweight rankings and Pitbull believes a win over "El Pantera" should catapult him into title contention.
"A fight against Yair Rodriguez puts me in a great place in this division", he said, "so if my performance will be good, I believe I will fight for the title".
