Feared knockout artist Patricky
“Pitbull” Freire is extremely confident going into his clash
against striking ace Alexandr
Shabliy.
Advertisement
Freire (25-11) and Shabliy (23-3) will meet in the semi-final of
Bellator
MMA’s lightweight grand prix, which will open the action at
Bellator 301. The event will go down at Wintrust Arena in
Chicago on Nov. 17.
One of the biggest fan favorites in the world of mixed martial
arts, Pitbull is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has scored 17
of his 25 career wins via knockout or technical knockout.
Training out of Pitbull Brothers gym in Brazil alongside younger
brother Patricio
Freire, Patricky is confident of pulling off a first-round
stoppage against Shabliy.
“Of course, I am ready. I have the best team in the world full of
world champions,” said Patricky at the Bellator 301 pre-fight press
conference. “I trained with this team for more than 10 years and I
believe in my wrestling, my striking and my team. I am prepared to
go for the belt. I can finish this fight in the first round of this
fight. Even if I am tired, my hands will still have power,”
Ranked No. 1 in Bellator’s lightweight division, Pitbull believes
he is fighting for the title despite champ Usman
Nurmagomedov not vacating his belt after being suspended due to
a failed drug test.
“For me, this fight is for the title. It doesn’t matter if the belt
isn’t there. The rules are the rules. If [Nurmagomedov] tested
positive for banned substances, then he should relinquish the belt.
That’s my opinion.”
Unsurprisingly, Patricky’s No. 2 ranked opponent shares his opinion
on this one. “I also believe this is the championship fight for the
lightweight division. Primus lost and Nurmagomedov tested positive,
this is now the lightweight championship,” said Shabliy.
Pitbull is coming off a leg kick TKO over Roberto
Satoshi de Souza at a
Bellator vs. Rizion crossover event in July, which saw him
bounce back from a title loss against Nurmagomedov.
Meanwhile, Shabliy is riding an eight-fight win streak and hasn’t
lost a bout since 2016. The Russian is coming off a controversial
Round 3 stoppage win against Tofiq
Musayev in March with the finish coming via a kick to the lower
midsection that slid to the cup.