Patricio “Pitbull” Freire has long been a dominant force, reigning as Bellator featherweight champion for many years. His impressive career also includes capturing the Bellator lightweight title by defeating Michael Chandler and adding the RIZIN championship to his resume after a victory over Kleber Koike.
With his highly anticipated entry into the octagon approaching, his Pitbull Brothers teammate, Leandro Higo, is fully convinced that Pitbull is poised to excel in the UFC environment.
Both fighters are scheduled to compete this week in Florida. Higo is set for his PFL debut, headlining PFL 2 in Orlando on April 11th against a late-notice replacement opponent, Marcirley Alves. Pitbull will step into the UFC cage for the first time the following night, facing Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 in Miami.
“I have no doubt that he will become a champion in the UFC,” Higo stated. “We`ve seen many fighters transition from Bellator to the UFC, and most have performed exceptionally well. The only former Bellator champion who didn`t seem to find his stride was Will Brooks. But consider others like Michael Chandler, who has done great things, or Eddie Alvarez, who became champion – the list goes on. Patricio possesses all the necessary attributes to become a champion, and he`s starting his UFC journey with a significant fight.”
The UFC featherweight title itself will be on the line in the main event of UFC 314, featuring former division king Alexander Volkanovski battling rising contender Diego Lopes.
According to Higo, a strong performance from Pitbull against Rodriguez could immediately place him among the top contenders in the 145-pound division.
“Depending entirely on his performance, he could easily position himself as the next challenger,” Higo commented. “He has everything required to claim that belt. He trains with champions constantly, and honestly, I believe he is the best fighter in the world.”
While preparations required the Pitbull Brothers team to split, with Higo and Pitbull training hundreds of miles apart in Florida, Higo intends to make the drive to Miami right after his own fight concludes to personally witness Pitbull`s monumental first walk to the UFC octagon.
“As soon as my fight is over, I`m hitting the road straight to Miami,” Higo confirmed. “I absolutely have to watch Pitbull`s debut live. I`m predicting a knockout win for him.”
Looking at his own fight on Friday, Higo is dealing with his second opponent change on short notice. Initially, Josh Rettinghouse stepped in when Magomed Magomedov withdrew, but Rettinghouse was then replaced by Alves on the morning of the weigh-ins. Despite this, Higo is focused on securing his first victory on the path toward the $500,000 grand prize offered in the PFL bantamweight tournament.
“My opponents keep changing, which is challenging, but if you aspire to be a champion, you must be prepared to face adversity,” Higo said. “It`s tough that I now have to fight a fellow Brazilian, especially since it`s happening because both our original opponents couldn`t compete, and he came in as an alternate.”
“I`m familiar with him; we`ve even competed on the same fight card before. But we`re both professional athletes with a job to do. This fight represents the crucial first step for me in this tournament, and with God`s help, it will be my first win. Then, I`ll focus on the second victory, the third, and ultimately winning that half a million dollars.”
