Patricio Pitbull is one of the best featherweights in the world. He is undoubtedly the biggest star in Bellator MMA. Pitbull currently holds the Bellator Featherweight championship which he has won three times in his career. He was also the second-ever two-weight champion in Bellator history, holding the Featherweight and Lightweight Championship simultaneously.
The 36-year-old holds a solid record of 35-7-0, which makes him one of the best Featherweight of all time outside the UFC. Ranking MMA ranked him as the No. 1 featherweight outside UFC, but it looks like Pitbull wants to get rid of that “outside UFC” tag.
Patricio Pitbull explains how Bellator sale to PFL could lead him to UFC
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— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 5, 2023
In a recent edition of MMA Fighting’s Trocação Franca podcast, Pitbull showed some interest in moving to the UFC. “I’m 36 years old and hold so many records in the organization I love,” said the Bellator featherweight. He has been loyal to Bellator and has achieved everything there is to achieve in that organization. “I’ll complete my deal and see which offer we have on the table, but I think my career deserves a move to the UFC”.
IF PFL buys Bellator (and that’s still very much TBD), I’d do the 2024 season like this:
4 PFL and 4 Bellator fighters per weight class.
X amount of weight classes (doesn’t matter).
Have them represent the brand for bragging rights.
See which promotion reigns supreme.…
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) July 13, 2023
Patricio Pitbull has made his intentions quite clear in this podcast. Earlier this year, there were hints that PFL was looking to buy Bellator (valued at $500 million) and move on to a new network. “I wouldn’t like to say goodbye to Bellator like this, but I understand the moment. It’s two-billion-dollar organizations negotiating. It’s not a rumor, it’s true, there’s negotiations going on,” said Pitbull on the topic of PFL buying Bellator.
Is it too late for Patricio Pitbull to join the UFC?
Featherweight is a small weight class that requires speed and technique. At the age of 36, entering the top MMA organization in one of its most dangerous divisions could be a risk for Pitbull. If he wants to become the UFC Featherweight Champion, he will have to defeat Alexander Volkanovski, the current best featherweight in the world.
Volkanovski has not lost a single match in the featherweight division since May 10, 2013, but if there is a featherweight who has the skills and experience to beat him, it’s Patricio Pitbull. It will be very interesting to see the best featherweight outside of the UFC take on the best featherweight in the UFC.
The most important factor in Patricio Pitbull joining the UFC is whether Dana White is interested in him or not. If Pitbull had been available a few years ago, Dana would have gladly signed him, but given the current age of Pitbull, it looks very difficult. Dana White is also known for making remarks on Bellator CEO Scott Coker for his style of running the promotion.
Patricio Pitbull is coming off a 2-fight losing streak against Sergio Pettis at Bellator 297 and Chihiro Suzuki at Super Rizin 2. These two losses were at bantamweight, which is not his regular division. At featherweight, Pitbull is still the best featherweight outside of the UFC and can still give Volkanovski a run for his money.
