{"id":37415,"date":"2026-03-26T19:07:58","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:07:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sherdog.com\/news\/news\/Patricio-Pitbull-sets-sights-on-former-champ-after-Aaron-Pico-fight-at-UFC-327-200608"},"modified":"2026-03-26T19:07:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T19:07:58","slug":"patricio-pitbull-sets-sights-on-former-champ-after-aaron-pico-fight-at-ufc-327","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.martialartskleinanzeigen.com\/videos\/patricio-pitbull-sets-sights-on-former-champ-after-aaron-pico-fight-at-ufc-327\/","title":{"rendered":"Patricio \u2018Pitbull\u2019 sets sights on former champ after Aaron Pico fight at UFC 327"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Relatively new
\nUltimate Fighting Championship<\/a> fighter Patricio
\nFreire<\/a> is looking to pay someone back for their harsh words
\nabout his previous organization.<\/p>\n

Freire (37-8) spoke to Sherdog this week, who explained his current
\nplan as a member of the UFC roster. The former Bellator MMA<\/a> great has seen mixed results since coming
\nover in 2025, losing in his debut to Yair
\nRodriguez<\/a> but outpointing Dan Ige<\/a> in July
\n2025 to earn his first UFC triumph.<\/p>\n

\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The ranked featherweight will be returning to the Octagon at
\n
\nUFC 327<\/a> in April, where he will face fellow former Bellator
\n145er Aaron Pico<\/a>
\n(13-5). The American, on a three-fight win streak, fell short in
\nhis own organizational debut in August 2025 when Lerone
\nMurphy<\/a> smashed him with a spinning back elbow. Despite the
\ncrushing knockout loss for Pico, Freire is taking him seriously and
\ngives him credit for his initial performance.<\/p>\n

\u201cPico is a very tough guy,\u201d the Brazilian remarked. \u201cFrom what I\u2019ve
\nheard, if he had beaten Murphy, he would have had another fight and
\ngone for the belt. He was clearly winning against Murphy when he
\nwas knocked out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Freire does believe that the first-round knockout will force Pico
\nto go back to his roots of wrestling in order to pick up his first
\nUFC win. Knowing that high-profile crossover athletes may not be
\ngiven the same grace period as any other signee\u2014Patrick Mix<\/a>
\nlost twice in the UFC and was released\u2014Freire expects Pico will
\nplace himself in the best possible position to get his hand
\nraised.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe is very explosive, has a very hard hand, but his chin is not
\nproportional to the strength of his fists and usually when he is
\nknocked out, he comes back more of a grappler than a striker. I am
\nprepared for everything,\u201d revealed the former two-division Bellator
\nchampion.<\/p>\n

He ran away from me<\/h2>\n

The UFC often asks victorious athletes who they would like to face
\nnext, and \u201cPitbull\u201d is prepared to answer that question in the
\nevent he surpasses Pico on April 11 at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
\nHe wants a top-five adversary, but not just any name in that
\nrange.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to finish this fight quickly and challenge a top five
\n[fighter],\u201d Freire proclaimed. \u201cProbably Aljamain
\nSterling<\/a>, who went around saying some nonsense when he claimed
\nthat Bellator fighters were humiliated. When, in fact, he ran away
\nfrom me. When I arrived at the UFC, he said he would fight me, and
\nthen made excuses, then the UFC offered me Yair.\u201d<\/p>\n

It has not been all sunshine and rainbows for the Pitbull Brothers
\ngym founder, as wrestling coach Eric Albarracin\u2014a resident of
\nNatal, Brazil, since 2023\u2014has suffered a personal tragedy. The
\nvaunted coach\u2019s brother recently died from cancer, and he had to
\ntravel back up to the U.S. to attend his funeral and help his
\nfamily with the related matters. Freire wishes him nothing but the
\nbest.<\/p>\n

\u201cI send my condolences and deepest sympathies to the captain for
\nthis great loss,\u201d he concluded. \u201cMay God comfort his heart. We are
\nwaiting for him here to finish the camp.\u201d<\/p>\n