Patricky “Pitbull” Freire started his career in mixed martial arts after growing up watching Brazilian stars fighting in Pride and has always mentioned it was a lifelong dream of his to be able to compete in Japan.
On Saturday morning, “Pitbull” enters the ring in Osaka to face Tatsuya Kawajiri in the first round of the Rizin Fighting Federation Lightweight Grand Prix.
“I was so anxious it felt like I was getting ready to make my international debut,” Freire told MMA Fighting. “It’s a dream for me. My brother (Patricio Freire) and I always wanted to fight in Japan, but we thought we would never have the chance with the downfall of Japanese MMA.