Patrício Pitbull facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patrício Pitbull
Freire in 2023
Born	Patrício Freire (1987-07-07) July 7, 1987 (age 37) Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Height	5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Weight	135 lb (61 kg)
Division	Bantamweight (2023) Featherweight (2004–present) Lightweight (2016; 2019–2021)
Reach	65+1⁄2 in (166 cm)
Fighting out of	Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil
Team	Team Nogueira (until 2010) Black House Pitbull Brothers (2010–present)
Rank	Black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu
Years active	2004–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total	43
Wins	36
By knockout	12
By submission	12
By decision	12
Losses	7
By knockout	2
By submission	1
By decision	4
Children	2
Notable relatives	Patricky Pitbull (brother)

Patrício Freire (born July 7, 1987), known as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He is famous for fighting in Bellator MMA, where he won the Featherweight Championship three times. He also held the Lightweight Championship once. Patrício is the younger brother of fellow fighter Patricky Pitbull. He was the second fighter in Bellator MMA history to hold two championship titles at the same time. Many people think he is the best fighter Bellator has ever had. He is also considered one of the best fighters who never competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

About Patrício Pitbull

Patrício Freire was born and grew up in the city of Natal, Brazil. He started training in Brazilian jiu-jitsu when he was ten years old. This helped him deal with being smaller than other kids. As a teenager, he trained at the famous Chute Boxe gym. Many well-known MMA stars like Wanderlei Silva also trained there.

His Mixed Martial Arts Journey

Starting His Career

Patrício Freire began his professional MMA career in March 2004. He was only 16 years old. For his first five and a half years, he fought in Brazil. He won all 12 of his fights, with most of them ending early. Before joining Bellator, he was seen as one of the best new fighters outside of North America.

Fighting in Bellator MMA

Patrício joined Bellator MMA in 2010. He quickly became a top fighter in their Featherweight Tournament. He won his first two fights by submission and decision. In the tournament final, he faced Joe Warren and lost a very close fight.

Winning Tournaments and Title Shots

Patrício kept fighting hard. In 2011, he won the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament. He knocked out Georgi Karakhanyan and Wilson Reis. This win earned him another chance to fight for the championship. However, a broken hand delayed his title fight.

He later faced Pat Curran for the Bellator Featherweight Championship in 2013. It was a tough fight, and Patrício lost by a split decision.

Becoming a Champion

Patrício didn't give up. He won the Bellator Season Nine Featherweight Tournament in 2013. He knocked out Diego Nunes and Justin Wilcox in the process. This led to another championship fight against Pat Curran in 2014. This time, Patrício won by unanimous decision. He became the new Bellator Featherweight Champion!

He successfully defended his title two times. He beat Daniel Mason-Straus with a submission and knocked out Daniel Weichel.

Losing and Regaining the Title

In 2015, Patrício lost his Featherweight Championship to Daniel Straus. After this, he moved up to the Lightweight division for a short time. He wanted to challenge Michael Chandler, who had beaten his brother.

In 2017, Patrício got a chance to win back his Featherweight title. He fought Daniel Straus for the fourth time. Patrício won by submission in the second round. This made him a two-time Bellator Featherweight World Champion! He defended this title against Daniel Weichel and Emmanuel Sanchez.

Becoming a Double Champion

In 2019, Patrício made history. He challenged Michael Chandler for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. He won the fight by knockout in the first round. This made him the second fighter in Bellator history to hold two titles at the same time! He was the Featherweight and Lightweight Champion.

Featherweight Grand Prix

Patrício then entered the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix tournament. He defended his Featherweight title multiple times during this tournament. He beat Juan Archuleta, Pedro Carvalho, and Emmanuel Sanchez.

In the final of the Grand Prix in 2021, he faced the undefeated A. J. McKee. Patrício lost the fight by submission in the first round. He lost his Featherweight title and the $1 million prize. After this, he decided to give up his Lightweight championship. He wanted his brother Patricky to have a chance to fight for that title.

Third Featherweight Championship Reign

In 2022, Patrício had a rematch with A. J. McKee for the Featherweight title. He won the fight by unanimous decision and became the Featherweight Champion for the third time! He successfully defended his title against Ádám Borics and also won a non-title fight against Kleber Koike Erbst.

In 2023, Patrício tried to win a third championship in a different weight class, Bantamweight. He fought Sergio Pettis for the Bantamweight title but lost by unanimous decision. He also lost a fight against Chihiro Suzuki later that year.

In March 2024, Patrício defended his Featherweight title against Jeremy Kennedy. He won the fight with knees and punches in the third round. In January 2025, Bellator announced that Patrício was no longer under contract with them.

Personal Life

Patrício is married to Teresa. They have two sons together.

Achievements and Awards

Patrício Pitbull has achieved many great things in his career:

• Bellator Fighting Championships
  • He was the Bellator Lightweight World Champion one time.
  • He was the Bellator Featherweight World Champion three times.
    • He successfully defended his Featherweight title nine times in total across his reigns.
  • He was the second fighter in Bellator history to hold two titles at the same time.
  • He is the first fighter in Bellator history to have four different championship reigns.
  • He has the most wins in Bellator history (23 wins).
  • He has the most wins in Bellator Featherweight division history (22 wins).
  • He has the most wins in Bellator title fights (13 wins).
  • He has fought in the most title fights in Bellator history (17 fights).
  • He has fought in the most fights in Bellator history (29 fights).
  • He has the most finishes (wins that don't go to decision) in Bellator history (14 finishes).
  • He is tied for the most finishes in Bellator Featherweight division history (13 finishes).
  • He has the most knockouts in Bellator Featherweight division history (8 knockouts).
  • He has the second most submission victories in Bellator Featherweight division (5 submissions).
  • He won the Bellator Season Nine Featherweight Tournament.
  • He won the Bellator Season Four Featherweight Tournament.
  • He was the runner-up in the Bellator Season Two Featherweight Tournament.
• Bleacher Report
  • Named to the 2011 MMA All-Star First Team.

Mixed Martial Arts Record

Images for kids

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  Patrício Freire in 2023

See also

In Spanish: Patrício Pitbull para niños

• List of current mixed martial arts champions
• List of male mixed martial artists