Will Patricio Pitbull fail to find success inside the Octagon?
That’s the question on fight fans’ minds as the former two-division Bellator champion is set to make his long-awaited promotional debut on April 12 at UFC 314 in Miami. There, Pitbull will square off with former interim featherweight titleholder Yair Rodriguez in a fight that could make or break the newcomer’s chances of challenging for a UFC title someday.
It’ll be Pitbull’s first time competing since an ugly break-up with the Professional Fighters League. Offering his take on the Brazilian’s move from the Smart Cage to the Octagon, PFL broadcaster Sean O’Connell thinks Pitbull could be in for a wake-up call.
“I was ultimately proud of how the Pitbull situation was handled. He wanted out. He didn’t want to continue to fight under the PFL banner, and he’s a guy that made a big stink on social media,” O’Connell said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “If you think you can achieve something better somewhere else and make more money somewhere else, go ahead and try.”
“I wish him well. I’m a big fan of his fighting style, but I don’t think he’s going to do more or better in the UFC than he did under the Bellator banner or with the PFL. So, we’ll just let time tell.”
Many questions surround patricio pitbull’s UFC debut
To be fair, the PFL is probably a little bitter about losing one of Bellator’s biggest stars. Still, there are a lot of questions surrounding Pitbull’s UFC debut.
Pitbull will be 38 years old this year and has already competed 43 times in his career, leading many to wonder just how much mileage he has left. Pitbull has also lost two of his last three bouts, dropping back-to-back contests against Sergio Pettis and Chihiro Suzuki before bouncing back in March against Jeremy Kennedy.
Overall, Pitbull is 36-7 with 24 of his wins coming inside the distance — a perfect 12/12 split between knockouts and submissions.
