THROUGH THE YEARS, the UFC has had a number of imports from the now defunct Bellator MMA. While some arrived highly decorated, arguably no fighter has been the standard bearer of success in that organization like four-time world champion Patricio Pitbull. The Brazilian, who holds a litany of promotional records and is widely recognized as the greatest fighter in Bellator MMA history, will begin his journey to join Eddie Alvarez as the only fighters to hold gold in both Bellator and the UFC when he makes his promotional debut against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314.
Pitbull, 37, holds Bellator records for most fights (30), wins (24), title fight wins (15) and finishes (15). He also is one of two fighters to hold world titles in two divisions simultaneously (Ryan Bader is the other). But while those accolades are exceptional, it is Pitbull fighting style that will likely capture the attention of those who have never seen him in action.
"Violence. Lots of violence," Pitbull told ESPN through a translator of what to expect when he's locked in the Octagon with Rodriguez in Miami. "Three rounds of violence -- if I don't take his head off before that."
The one-time lightweight champion and three-time featherweight champion delivers a hyper-violent style that blends proficient striking and devastating knockout power with offensive wrestling and a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which makes him an absolute nightmare to deal with wherever the fight goes. His finishes have come in a variety of ways, whether it is his one-punch knockout power that cut the lights out on Daniel Weichel and current UFC fan favorite Michael Chandler or his nasty guillotine choke that had Daniel Straus frantically tapping the mat and that put Emmanuel Sanchez to sleep. Pitbull plans to show off his prolific finishing prowess to a new audience on April 12.
And whether he likes it or not, he will be carrying the history of Bellator MMA on his back when he makes his Octagon debut.
"People are always going to see me as a representative of that organization," Pitbull said. "Most of my career wins were in Bellator, so there's a vast history. And with that history comes a lot of baggage. For me, this is a new chapter in my career, and everything is new. But, of course, you can't erase everything that I've done before."
What he has done before makes the Brazilian one of the most decorated fighters to never have competed in the UFC until now. Despite all of his accomplishments, the history of those who came before him could signal a significant challenge for his highly anticipated UFC tenure.
Pitbull won't be the first former Bellator MMA champion to grace the Octagon. The prolific finisher, fighting out of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, will be the ninth Bellator champion to fight in the UFC, following in the footsteps of Ben Askren (1-2), Lyman Good (3-3), Alexander Volkov (12-5), Hector Lombard (3-8), Will Brooks (1-3), Joe Soto (3-5), Zach Makovsky (3-4) and Alvarez (4-3). The combined record of Bellator champions in the UFC is 30-33, an underwhelming 47.6% win percentage.
The Bellator champions that competed in the UFC before Pitbull were neutralized once they arrived in the UFC. Lombard was 8-0 with six finishes in Bellator MMA and had never been stopped in his MMA career before stepping into the Octagon. In the UFC, he was knocked out three times and had only two stoppage wins in 11 fights before going winless in his past seven fights.
Askren was 18-0 when he made his UFC debut with a controversial submission win over Robbie Lawler and was expected to challenge for UFC gold. Instead, his brief time in the promotion ended on a two-fight losing streak, with one of those losses coming courtesy of Jorge Masvidal's flying knee. Pitbull, 37, will enter the Octagon as another seasoned 21-year veteran with 43 MMA fights under his belt.
"There were some people in the UFC that raised questions about my age, but if you look at the weight class, there aren't many young fighters in the top 15," Pitbull said.
Youssef Zalal, 28, is the only ranked UFC featherweight under 30, but the fact remains that Pitbull will be the second-oldest behind 40-year-old Josh Emmett once he steps into the Octagon. He has a significant amount of mileage on his body but is convinced he has enough in the tank to join Alvarez as the second Bellator fighter to hold a UFC gold.
"I will make all of the sacrifices to be at my best. Nobody has the focus that I do."
Pitbull maintains a strict diet and training regime that allows him to continue to perform at a high level. He said he is fully prepared for the best the promotion has to offer.
"I always have had the confidence that I am the best featherweight in the world," Pitbull said. "Now I can prove it."
ALVAREZ's UFC TENURE didn't start off the way he had planned with a decision loss to Donald Cerrone in 2014. Alvarez eventually settled in, defeating Gilbert Melendez and Anthony Pettis before knocking out Rafael dos Anjos for the lightweight title. Although he would drop the title in his next fight to Conor McGregor, "The Underground King" said he remembers feeling the pressure when he was preparing for his Octagon debut.
"You could feel that it was the biggest show on earth from the promotion to the fans standing outside the hotel. No one has come close to what [the UFC] do," Alvarez told ESPN. "It can be overwhelming, but I had fought all over the world 13 years into my career, so I was ready. But I was still trying my best to not make a big deal out of the three letters and remind myself that it was just another fight."
It is something that UFC CEO Dana White has coined "the Octagon jitters." The term refers to when promotional newcomers succumb to the high-pressure environment of the UFC. While the concept may carry some weight, there is also the reality that the UFC historically has had a sink-or-swim mentality when matchmaking highly decorated fighters from other promotions for their debuts. Askren fought Lawler and Alvarez faced Cerrone in their respective debuts.
"Knowing the UFC, they want their fighters to be number one," said Alvarez, who also admitted that he requested only to compete against the top fighters in the UFC's lightweight division when he signed with the promotion in 2014. For Bellator MMA's inaugural lightweight champion, capturing UFC gold was the only thing missing from his lengthy list of accolades. Without it, he believes there would have been an asterisk by his name.
"[The UFC] wants the perception to be that the UFC has the best fighters in the world," Alvarez said. "The UFC isn't there to make people like us look good. They sign us because they want the biggest and baddest fighters in the world, but whether they are signing them to do well in their promotion is a different story altogether."
The UFC declined to comment on its matchmaking decisions.
Like Alvarez, Pitbull didn't want to waste time and asked to be put in the deep end for his UFC debut. Rodriguez is currently the promotion's fifth-ranked featherweight and two fights removed from challenging for the 145-pound championship.
It's certainly no coincidence that Pitbull will compete on a card headlined by former champion Alexander Volkanovski squaring off with Diego Lopes for the featherweight championship. Given the division has more questions than answers following the departure of Ilia Topuria to lightweight, it's possible a win at UFC 314 could propel Pitbull into the featherweight title picture before the end of the year.
"The UFC hasn't told me that I'll get a title fight next, but it makes sense," Pitbull said. "I'm fighting on the same day that the featherweight division will have a new champion. A win will put me in a great place and that's what I'm looking for."
Interestingly enough, a showdown with Volkanovski was once seen as a fantasy fight but now has the potential to become a reality.
"I think [Pitbull] could do quite well [against] the UFC featherweight champion," trainer Duke Roufus told ESPN in 2023. Roufus trained then-bantamweight Sergio Pettis, who thwarted Pitbull's attempt to become Bellator's first three-division champion. "It's not going to happen, but I'd love to see him and [Volkanovski] fight each other. 'Pitbull' is legit. He's top of the MMA food chain."
THERE WILL BE plenty of support coming for Pitbull from fighters who competed for Bellator, including former two-division champion Ryan Bader.
"It's cool to see Pitbull going over to the UFC and I hope he does well," Bader told ESPN. "There are people who think that because the UFC is the top promotion, they will beat fighters from every other promotion, and that's not necessarily true. Opportunities like this are what makes MMA fun."
He's not only fighting for himself but also to validate the idea that the best fighters can come from other promotions. If Alvarez justified that Bellator could produce a UFC champion, Pitbull aims to put a stamp on the claims by adding to an already hall of fame career.
"Great fighters come from everywhere," Pitbull said. "The people who say that all of the best fighters are in the UFC and everyone else is trash don't know anything about this sport. I know there are fighters from Bellator who will feel represented when the GOAT of Bellator steps into the Octagon.
"I fight for history, legacy and honor. I want to take that belt and prove to myself and everyone else that I'm the best featherweight of all time."