Patricio Pitbull asks for Bellator release due to inactivity: ‘They know they’re in the wrong’
One of the faces of Bellator could leave the promotion soon.
Patricio Pitbull holds many records in Bellator history — including most fights, most wins, and most belts won and defended — but is unhappy with what the company has become since merging with the Professional Fighters League. Sitting on the sidelines since March after being promised a big fight on New Years Eve, Pitbull has had enough.
“PFL guys seem a bit lost there,” Pitbull said in an interview with MMA Fighting. “Looks like Bellator is a bit too big for them, and they don’t know how to act properly.”
Pitbull said he was promised a rematch with RIZIN lightweight champion Chihiro Suzuki in Japan on Dec. 31 right after his knockout win over Jeremy Kennedy, but the contract was never sent. Six weeks before the date of the show and already in camp in Brazil, Pitbull was informed that Aaron Pico would be his new opponent. Yet, the plan once again did not go through.
Other Bellator athletes, including his teammate Leandro Higo, have also complained about lack of fights. Higo was scheduled to face Patchy Mix for the bantamweight title in December, but the show was ultimately postponed. The new date, planned for January, will not include Mix vs. Higo.
“We were left with only promises,” Pitbull said. “We lost rhythm, we lost part of our careers waiting for something that never came. It’s bad for me as a champion. I need to stay active. We know I’m not getting any younger, too. So I spoke with my managers and since my contract is not that long, it’s close to the end, we’ll ask to leave. I need to work.”
Pitbull declined to specify how bouts or how much time he has left in his current deal with the company. The Brazilian featherweight, who once held two titles simultaneously in Bellator, said ‘I feel very comfortable financially, my family is fine,” so right now he’s chasing deals that would affect his legacy. A part of Bellator since its 15th card back in 2010, Pitbull said his No. 1 goal would be to join the octagon.
“I have to fight in the UFC,” Pitbull said. “I have to face those guys. I see myself doing a good job there. I don’t see anything very special there. I can fight anyone there, even the champion. [Ilia Topuria] has some holes we can take advantage of. I’m sure they think the same about me, but I have to trust myself. This is the time.”
MMA Fighting reached out for comment from PFL/Bellator but did not receive a response. Pitbull said he doesn’t expect the company to be against releasing an unhappy champion.
“We know that, although I’m the champion, I’m on the last chapters of my contract,” Pitbull said. “It doesn’t make sense to keep me locked. To [lock] someone that is not satisfied and can speak and be heard around the world, I think it would look bad, even. They know they’re in the wrong, and I hope we can come to an agreement and they release me. I need to fight and continue my legacy.”
MMA veteran Gegard Mousasi has complained about lack of fights and ultimately parted ways with the organization. The former Bellator middleweight champion later filed a lawsuit seeking over $15 million in damages. Douglas Lima has also voiced his discontent online, but ultimately signed a new deal.
“Basically, Douglas Lima and my brother [Patricky Pitbull], the high-caliber guys of the organization, they either re-signed with their purse cut in half or they would be cut,” Pitbull said. “That was basically forced, you know? [PFL co-owner] Donn Davis said early in the merge that that would not happen, but it happened. We know the organization has valued semi-retired fighters and internet celebrities more than actual fighters that put on a show.”
If the agreement comes, and Pitbull can walk away from PFL-Bellator and join the UFC, he would love to debut straight into a title fight with Topuria, much like RIZIN champion Kai Asakura taking on UFC flyweight king Alexandre Pantoja at Saturday’s UFC 310 event in Las Vegas.
If that’s not the case, he welcomes any challenges at the top of the featherweight class, naming Movsar Evloev, Diego Lopes, Yair Rodriguez, Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega as ideal foes — or even one name at lightweight.
“My division is 145, but I have a history at lightweight,” Pitbull said. “I fought [Michael] Chandler. He’s a popular figure in the UFC, especially these days with exciting fights. I wouldn’t turn down a fight with him right off the bat.”
“I can go in there and add fuel to that fire,” he added, referring to the featherweight division. “Throw me against any one of those. Unleash me against among the lions there.”
