Patricio Freire is making a strong case for himself as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world, but his historical dominance in the Bellator MMA featherweight division is already beyond debate.
At Bellator 252 last Thursday, “Pitbull” thrashed Pedro Carvalho to advance to the semifinals of the Bellator Featherweight Grand Prix. As Freire’s belt is on the line in each round of the tournament, the first-round knockout also constituted his sixth title defense.
It would be difficult to overstate the extent to which the burly Brazilian is synonymous with the featherweight belt.