LOS ANGELES – If the version of Patricio Freire who reigned over Bellator for years truly is back, the UFC’s featherweight division might want to focus up.
Freire (38-9 MMA, 2-2 UFC) on Saturday got back in the win column with a vicious knockout of Dooho Choi (17-5-1 MMA, 6-4-1 UFC) in the opening round of their featured main card fight at UFC 331. “Pitbull” got the fans at Crypto.com Arena into a buzz with the stoppage, which was his second win in the UFC.
Freire has been up and down in his four UFC fights, but said a switch got flipped against “The Korean Superboy.” Not only was it his first UFC finish, but it was his fastest stoppage in more than five years.
“I feel like that was my debut,” Freire told MMA Junkie and other media at his post-fight
news conference. “Something happened to my mind. I was like in a panic (my first three UFC fights), but now I feel I'm comfortable here. That was good to win again.”
After the win, the 39-year-old Brazilian dropped to his knees in the cage and got more emotional than fans are accustomed to seeing from him, perhaps. He said that moment had as much to do with his world outside the cage as it does with the win that happened in it.
“I was thinking about my kids, always, and when I lose a fight, they come to me and say, ‘Hey, Dad, why did you stop? Why did you not punch him? Just attack – you're good.’ I was thinking about that.”
But Freire’s mind quickly turned to what he could use the win over Choi to catapult toward – and that’s another big challenge at featherweight up the charts. Freire was ranked No. 15 in the UFC’s Meta rankings heading into UFC 331, so he’s likely to make a slight leap there.
And though his manager pushed him toward a callout of Arnold Allen, Allen’s recent injury news might have him unable to sign up for a dance. Instead, though, Freire said he’d love a shot at Jean Silva, a fellow Brazilian coming off a main event submission of Jose Delgado just a week ago.
“I like challenges, and that was my time to challenge someone,” Freire said. “(Silva) is a barking dog – he’s all bark, but no bite. I am ‘Pitbull.’ Let's see who is the top dog.”
Check out Freire’s post-fight interview above.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Patricio Freire got rejuvenated with UFC 331 KO, Jean Silva callout
