MMA legend Patricio Pitbull remains in a state of adjustment after a more successful second outing as a UFC fighter.
Among the most intriguing UFC 318 storylines below Dustin Poirier’s retirement fight in the main event was the second appearance in the promotion for Pitbull, a mixed martial arts legend widely seen as the greatest fighter from the now-defunct Bellator brand.
The 38-year-old Brazilian made his way to the Octagon late in his career, debuting this past April after already accumulating 43 fights as a professional. And it was a rocky start for the featherweight legend, as Yair Rodriguez beat Pitbull at UFC 314 to immediately stall the newcomer’s title ambitions.
Pitbull bounced back in New Orleans on Saturday, getting the better of the always-game Dan Ige on the scorecards. But a victory does not mean the veteran is totally at home in the UFC just yet.
Patricio Pitbull is still finding three-round fights ‘difficult’ to adjust to
During a backstage interview with UFC.com’s Maddyn Johnstone-Thomas, Pitbull reflected on his first taste of victory in MMA’s leading promotion.
Between 2017 and 2022, the Brazilian fought exclusively in five-round contests. And while he did appear in two bouts set for 15 minutes against RIZIN fighters Kleber Koike Erbst and Chihiro Suzuki, he split them 1-1.
With that in mind, the drop to three rounds in his pursuit of UFC gold marked one aspect Pitbull has had to adjust to in the Octagon. And despite picking up a victory at UFC 318, the 38-year-old admitted he is still not used to the change.
“I was a little bit afraid, you know? Because my opponent is very dangerous,” Pitbull said.
“It is still difficult,” he added, when asked about his second straight three-round fight. “But an opponent like Ige just makes my job easy, ’cause we can fight always.”
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Patricio Pitbull knows what he wants next after UFC 318
Both in the lead-up to and aftermath of his sophomore UFC outing, Pitbull has made no secret over who he’s targeting next.
The Brazilian has set his sights on another name to have crossed over from the PFL to the Octagon after making his name under the Bellator banner, the yet-to-debut Aaron Pico.
Pico was set to compete for the first time soon, but Movsar Evloev’s withdrawal from UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26 has left his first fight in his new promotion up in the air.
Pitbull, for one, would evidently be willing to replace the Russian contender as his former Bellator rival’s first UFC foe.
“I have a name in my mind. I want to face Aaron Pico,” Pitbull told UFC.com. “He had a fight canceled against (Evloev) and now he’s free. If he’s good, we can fight next week.”