Former two-division Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull’s UFC debut was hard to pin down allegedly because of a former champ’s reluctance to fight.
After an abrupt end to his Bellator tenure, Patricio Pitbull will make his UFC debut in April at UFC 314 in Miami. He returns to the cage seeking to make a press release to kick off this recent chapter of his profession against former interim featherweight titleholder Yair Rodriguez, in what figures to be a high-octane matchup.
Pitbull’s addition to the UFC’s featherweight division adds one other dimension to the title picture. His debut comes after Ilia Topuria vacated the featherweight belt to maneuver as much as lightweight, opening the door to the UFC 314 most important event between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.
While Pitbull vs. Rodriguez has fireworks written throughout it, Pitbull says a former UFC titleholder ‘ran’ from him during UFC 314 negotiations.
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ mocks Aljamain Sterling for allegedly turning down debut opponent slot
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Pitbull accused Aljamain Sterling of swiftly turning down a booking for UFC 314.
“Abruptly they asked if I’d fight [Aljamain] Sterling in March, I said I’m in, but he ran,” Pitbull said. “Then they offered me Yair Rodriguez, but he didn’t respond. I messaged him in private. ‘What’s up brother? Where’s your Mexican pride?’…he said it’d be very gratifying to welcome me to the organization.
“But when the UFC contacted, he turned it down and asked for a ranked opponent…let’s see if he’ll stay on the fight or ‘get injured’.”
As of this writing, Sterling hasn’t responded to Pitbull’s allegations. Sterling most recently lost to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 in December.
Pitbull’s Bellator/PFL release got here after months of tensions constructing with the promotional brass. Aaron Pico and other top names are departing the PFL over strained relationships with the brass and fighting inactivity.
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ could get quick title push after Ilia Topuria’s title vacation
Pitbull left Bellator as certainly one of the promotion’s top names and is arguably the best fighter to grace the Bellator cage. During his promotional tenure, Pitbull defeated the likes of Michael Chandler, AJ McKee, and Juan Archuleta.
A win over Rodriguez could potentially catapult Pitbull into the title shot conversation. At 37 years old, a slow ascent into the title mix isn’t what Pitbull likely wants for his UFC profession, following within the footsteps of fellow Bellator castaway Michael ‘Venom’ Page and others.
Sterling and Pitbull could potentially be on a collision course, depending on the results of Pitbull’s upcoming debut and a timeline for Sterling’s return fight.
