Patricio Pitbull was granted his full release from PFL on Jan. 15 before engaging in a month-long negotiation with the UFC. He now gets to live “a unique moment in my career” signing for his first octagon bout with Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 in Miami, Fla., on April 12.
According to the former Bellator two-division champion, however, that was not the first option thrown his way.
The 37-year-old veteran, who knocked out Jeremy Kennedy to defend his featherweight title in his final Bellator bout back in March 2024, told MMA Fighting the UFC offered him many potential options before finally getting an opponent to agree.
“It was hard because they didn’t sound very excited at first,” Pitbull said. “There was a meeting with [Jorge Guimarães] ‘Joinha’ and Ed [Soares] and the UFC. One [UFC person] wanted it, another didn’t, and one tried to convince the other. ‘Joinha’ said to me, ‘Brother, trust me, it will work out in the end.’ And out of a sudden they asked if I would fight Aljamain Sterling in March. I said I’m in, but he ran. He said he needed more time to fight, that he would only be able to fight in April.
“Then they offered me Yair Rodriguez, but he didn’t respond. I messaged him in private. ‘What’s up brother, will you fight or not? Where’s your Mexican pride?’ Teased him a little bit. He said it would be very gratifying to welcome me to the organization. But when the UFC contacted him, he turned it down and asked for a ranked opponent.
“Cool, UFC gave him Arnold Allen. I told ‘Joinha’ to stay on it because Arnold Allen would pull out from this fight. He would probably get injured. We know that when someone takes a fight on such short notice, and he doesn’t have a complete camp, most guys avoid that. And in order to avoid saying no to the UFC, they take it and then ‘get hurt.’ ‘Joinha’ texted [the UFC] and said I would be ready.”
In the meantime, Pitbull said he was offered to step in as a late-notice replacement against Steve Garcia on Feb. 22, stepping in after Edson Barboza suffered an injury, but the 10-day window would make it impossible for him to get a visa to fight in the United States.
All those offers happened before Patricio even signed a contract with the UFC.
“I kept training with Yair Rodriguez in mind,” Pitbull said. “They said Dana White was going to announce the fight last night and then [Rodriguez] would have to take it. And that’s what happened. Let’s see if he’ll stay on the fight or get injured [laughs].”
Pitbull said “there was no best match-up” for him to debut in the UFC as he’s facing a top-ranked 145-pounder on the same card. Alexander Volkanovski battles Diego Lopes for the undisputed featherweight belt. Ilia Topuria vacated the title to move up to the lightweight division.
“I’m happy that at this stage of my career, 37 years old, I’m able to enter the world’s largest organization in a top fight in my weight class,” Pitbull said. “That puts me on a higher level, more relevant. I’m happy with that. It’s also a recognition that I can do it. In fact, a definitive victory could mean I’m fighting for the title next.”
The Brazilian made a name for himself as the greatest champion in Bellator history with gold belts at featherweight and lightweight, and guarantees there’s no extra pressure competing in front of a larger audience in the UFC.
“Many people saw [my wins] but doubt the opponents I’ve faced, even the guys with extraordinary records,” Pitbull said. “I have that as motivation. My experience doesn’t let me treat it as pressure. Quite the opposite. I use that as motivation to go there and tear him apart. That’s what pitbulls do, and that’s what I’m going to do.”
Open to compete in any division from bantamweight all the way up to welterweight, if the name thrown his way makes sense, Pitbull remains focuses on beating Rodriguez and earning a shot at the winner of Volkanovski vs. Lopes.
“[Lopes] is new blood, he’s explosive and hungry,” Pitbull said. “Volkanovski doesn’t have the same chin anymore. He’s a complicated man to fight, he jumps around and has many feints, and Diego Lopes will have to avoid that kind of strategy. And if there’s a Brazil vs. Brazil fight for the title next, it’s an honor for me, no problem.
“I came here to fight for the title. I don’t want to be another man that came into the organization and had an unsuccessful career. We know that can happen, but we’ll do our best to come here at our best. I’m very confident.”
