Patricio “Pitbull” Freire put on a show Saturday in the main event of Bellator 286, defeating Adam Borics via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 50-45) to retain his featherweight title.
Flying knees don't fly with @PatricioPitbull 😤@BellatorMMA #Bellator286 pic.twitter.com/GAQ1QoGFpk
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) October 2, 2022
Fans in Long Beach, California watched Freire dominate from start to finish. He particularly did a solid job at defending Borics’ attacks and managed to find success taking the fight to the mat in the first three rounds.
👀 @PatricioPitbull counters the flying knee. #Bellator286 is LIVE on @SHOsports. pic.twitter.com/XBf3wZFPTI
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) October 2, 2022
The 35-year-old Freire, who’s widely considered an all-time Bellator great, now has the most victories (22) and title-fight wins (12) in company history, according to USA Today’s Mike Bohn.
It’s unclear what’s next for Freire, who’s shown interest in fighting at 135. Former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee said Saturday he’s waiting for Freire to decide on a potential trilogy bout.
AND STILL 🏆@PatricioPitbull remains the @BellatorMMA Featherweight World Champion 👏#Bellator286 pic.twitter.com/nGN0W8Zuuj
— SHOWTIME SPORTS (@SHOsports) October 2, 2022
“You can’t end the game at 1-1,” said McKee, who defeated Spike Carlyle in his lightweight debut Saturday, according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
Pitbull's defense on 💯
(via @BellatorMMA) pic.twitter.com/u5aQioAzQg
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) October 2, 2022
