Bellator 288: The Pitbull Brothers Look Back At Career Ahead Of Patricky’s Title Defense

Patricky and Patricio “Pitbull” Freire have made history in MMA. 

They are the first siblings in history to hold championship titles simultaneously in a major MMA promotion. Patricio, 35, is the Bellator featherweight champion and Patricky, 36, is the lightweight champion. 

Tonight, Patricky puts that title on the line against Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin, Usman, in the co-main event of Bellator 288. 

“Those [the Nurmagomedovs] are great names in this sport but me and my brother, we’ve done a lot as well,” said Pitbull. 

“Some things from Russia, they have been pretty impressive but so have we. We have both got titles. I think the history of this sport so far, mine and my brother’s history is ahead at the moment.” 

The Pitbull brothers were born and raised in Rio Grande do Norte, a state in northeast Brazil. They got interested in MMA thanks to Brazilian UFC great Royce Gracie.  

Patricio won his first title in Bellator in 2014. Patricky won his first Bellator in 2021. 

As for Friday, Patricky has already analyzed his upcoming opponent, Usman. 

“He is a guy that has great striking; he is a striker first,” he said. 

“He seems to have good wrestling but not as effective or as dangerous as his team-mates. But he is undefeated so he is very confident.”