Patricio “Pitbull” Freire has the most wins in Bellator featherweight division and is one of six fighters in the organizations history to win at least two tournaments.
He will get another opportunity to win the Bellator featherweight title on June 6th at Bellator 121 when he gets his rematch against current champion Pat Curran.
Over the past couple of days, Pitbull has made several comments to various media outlets about his current situation with Bellator. One of the comments he made was to MMAFighting.com where he stated that he wants to knockout Curran next month to earn the respect he deserves. Pitbull explained his recent comments to TheMMAReport.com through a translator, which he called Curran the poster boy for Bellator.
“I was already robbed of a decision, whatever I do, I don’t feel safe if it goes to a decision again,” Pitbull said. “And he’s their poster boy. A promotion never should take sides. You never know what can happen tomorrow. I’ll show them picking a side was a mistake so they never do it again with anybody.”
Other recent comments from Pitbull included his frustrations with Bellator. One of the issues that Pitbull was willing to make public is how he is promoted by the organization.
“One thing I can tell you is that they could promote me, something they barely do,” he said. “Sometimes I’m even ignored. I do my job, I go in there and perform to the best of my abilities and the audience loves it. I give them my all, but do they give me their all? There are other factors, things that don’t meet people’s eyes and ears. But they know what it is. It’s not like I have kept it to myself. And I hope I don’t have to make it public either. People see me talking like I want to hurt Bellator. I’m just fighting for myself. If it came to the point I had to go public is because I was forced to. If they do the right things I won’t have any reason to do that ever again.”
The article written on MMAFighting.com had the headline that Pitbull “threatens to leave Bellator.” He never used the word threaten in a quote, but the question for Pitbull may end up becoming what is more important, fighting the best or making the most money?
“I have a goal to one day be considered the greatest mixed martial artist,” Pitbull said. “To be that, I have to fight the best. But my weight class on Bellator is as strong as anywhere else. People are biased, but one day they will have to admit our capabilities and put as on the same level or above the others. That said, it’s a combination of both. I can’t just fight the best competition and not get paid, and I can’t just look for the money and fight weak competition if I’m ever to achieve my goal.”
Obviously, Pitbull has his issues with Bellator. He has spoken about how the organization has promoted former UFC fighters like Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Tito Ortiz, and Cheick Kongo. With where everything stands, is the relationship with Bjorn Rebney and Bellator beyond repair?
“It’s a very delicate situation, I came to the point of asking to be released of my contract and I meant it,” Pitbull said. “I really want to get my rematches with Curran and Warren, specially because I think I won both of those fights. But it just didn’t seem worth it. Now I’m having my title shot and I’m focused on this fight. My management team is talking to them and they’re trying to fix things. As I’ve said before, if Bellator provides what’s best for my career I’ll stay. But as far as the way I used to be, it’s now business. If it can go back to the way it was, I don’t really know. It can be better than what it is now, it can be different. But it’s up to them, it will all depend on their actions.”
Following the Bellator 118 Weigh-Ins on Thursday in Atlantic City, TheMMAReport.com asked Rebney about the current situation with Pitbull. Rebney called the featherweight fighter an “incredibly fierily personality.”
“I see him all the time,” Rebney said. “Every time I see him, I give him a big hug and he wants to grapple with me. He is an incredibly fierily personality and that is what he is. He fought for us five or six times on Spike last year. He made a great deal of money and he is fighting for the world title. He had to wait three months. Sometimes everything in life doesn’t come exactly when you want it to, but he is fighting for the world title in a month in a half.”
“He has a great fight, incredible matchup that a lot of people are excited to see again. He is a very fierily emotional personality so every time I see him, I am going to hug him and I am going to see his brother and I am going to congratulate let them when they win. Then we are going to be buddies. Then he is going to get fierily, upset and say other stuff. It’s just the natural of the beast and that is who he is.”