LOS ANGELES – Patricio Friere is proud of his pre-UFC legacy, but he admits his tenure with the promotion has left something to be desired.
At Saturday's UFC 331, Friere (37-9 MMA, 1-2 UFC) has the opportunity to show fans who may not have followed his Bellator career who he truly is and what he's made of, as he takes on all-action fighter Dooho Choi at Crypto.com Arena. The two featherweights find themselves directly in the middle of the main card on Paramount+.
Choi (17-4-1 MMA, 6-3-1 UFC) was the one to call out "Pitbull" after a May victory – and the matchmakers obliged. Freire isn't offended by the challenge. In fact, he found it refreshing. During his Bellator tenure, he was used to this sort of thing. But during his UFC stint, the name
drops have quieted.
"I liked it," Freire told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. "It's always good when the fighters are remembering your name and have your name in mind. I think his opponent was going to say the same thing. I was missing it. In that division, everyone is quiet. I like challengers."
Freire is 39 years old and has 46 professional fights, but still feels like he could fight every month. He'd love it if that dream could become a reality, perhaps now more than ever. Friere lost his promotional debut to Yair Rodriguez before he beat Dan Ige. Last time out, he lost to Aaron Pico. "Pitbull" hasn't been thrilled with his performances.
"I didn't like any of them," Freire said. "I don't think I showed my potential at all in any of those fights. But I do want to bring that out in this performance."
There were rumors going into this fight that Freire was on the last fight of his deal. However, Wednesday, he shot those rumors down. Still, the stakes are high for "Pitbull". Given the circumstances, he wants to win Saturday and prove to the UFC brass he's worthy of Dana White's special "pure chaos" $50,000 bonus.
"(That surprise bonus) sounds good," Freire laughed. "I think it's a good deal. Me against 'Korean Superboy' is going to be fireworks, I believe. We're going to win that"
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Patricio Freire hopes at UFC 331 he can bring out potential for first time
