Ultimate Fighting Championship fighter Patricio
Freire is looking to pay someone back for their harsh words
about his previous organization.
Freire (37-8) spoke to Sherdog this week, who explained his current
plan as a member of the UFC roster. The former Bellator MMA great has seen mixed results since coming
over in 2025, losing in his debut to Yair
Rodriguez but outpointing Dan Ige in July
2025 to earn his first UFC triumph.
The ranked featherweight will be returning to the Octagon at
UFC 327 in April, where he will face fellow former Bellator
145er Aaron Pico
(13-5). The American, on a three-fight win streak, fell short in
his own organizational debut in August 2025 when Lerone
Murphy smashed him with a spinning back elbow. Despite the
crushing knockout loss for Pico, Freire is taking him seriously and
gives him credit for his initial performance.
“Pico is a very tough guy,” the Brazilian remarked. “From what I’ve
heard, if he had beaten Murphy, he would have had another fight and
gone for the belt. He was clearly winning against Murphy when he
was knocked out.”
Freire does believe that the first-round knockout will force Pico
to go back to his roots of wrestling in order to pick up his first
UFC win. Knowing that high-profile crossover athletes may not be
given the same grace period as any other signee—Patrick Mix
lost twice in the UFC and was released—Freire expects Pico will
place himself in the best possible position to get his hand
raised.
“He is very explosive, has a very hard hand, but his chin is not
proportional to the strength of his fists and usually when he is
knocked out, he comes back more of a grappler than a striker. I am
prepared for everything,” revealed the former two-division Bellator
champion.
He ran away from me
The UFC often asks victorious athletes who they would like to face
next, and “Pitbull” is prepared to answer that question in the
event he surpasses Pico on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
He wants a top-five adversary, but not just any name in that
range.
“I want to finish this fight quickly and challenge a top five
[fighter],” Freire proclaimed. “Probably Aljamain
Sterling, who went around saying some nonsense when he claimed
that Bellator fighters were humiliated. When, in fact, he ran away
from me. When I arrived at the UFC, he said he would fight me, and
then made excuses, then the UFC offered me Yair.”
It has not been all sunshine and rainbows for the Pitbull Brothers
gym founder, as wrestling coach Eric Albarracin—a resident of
Natal, Brazil, since 2023—has suffered a personal tragedy. The
vaunted coach’s brother recently died from cancer, and he had to
travel back up to the U.S. to attend his funeral and help his
family with the related matters. Freire wishes him nothing but the
best.
“I send my condolences and deepest sympathies to the captain for
this great loss,” he concluded. “May God comfort his heart. We are
waiting for him here to finish the camp.”