Patricio Pitbull reveals he would’ve retired if the UFC declined to sign him: “It was them or retirement”
Former Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull would’ve retired if the UFC didn’t sign him.
The Brazilian hasn’t been seen in the cage since a knockout win over UFC veteran Jeremy Kennedy last March. That victory wound up being Patricio Pitbull’s final appearance in the Bellator cage, as he was released from the PFL last month. The move came after the featherweight publically feuded with company executive Donn Davis over inactivity.
Earlier this month, Dana White announced the signing of Patricio Pitbull, and his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez, set for April. Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show earlier today, the former Bellator champion discussed his signing. There, Pitbull revealed that he was solely focused on signing with White and company.
In the interview with Helwani, the 37-year-old revealed his instructions to his managers, to speak with White and nobody else. If a deal couldn’t get done with the UFC, Patricio Pitbull would’ve simply retired. While organizations such as the Global Fight League or ONE Championship likely would’ve pursued the featherweight, he had no interest.
“I told my management team to not even waste time talking with other promotions. It was either the UFC or retirement.”@PatricioPitbull shares he would have retired if not signed by the UFC. pic.twitter.com/ERk8vy4INk
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) February 25, 2025
Former Bellator featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull opens up on signing with the UFC
“I told my management team to not even waste time talking with other promotions.” Patricio Pitbull stated earlier today to Ariel Helwani. “It was either the UFC or retirement. I was already decided on that. Yes [I would’ve retired], I would train with my son and that’s that.”
He continued, “Everything really only happened last week. When they made the fight offer that’s what they were looking for, they wanted to have a fun fight for me, not just send me the contract… They had first offered me a fight against Aljamain Sterling on March 8th, and I said yes, he said no… [But] last week, it finally happened.”
For what it’s worth, Patricio Pitbull’s negotiations with the UFC were hectic for a while. In addition to having a fight with Aljamain Sterling fall through, the Brazilian nearly accepted a short-notice fight with Steve Garcia for UFC Seattle. However, due to visa issues, that bout too, failed to come to fruition. Nonetheless, the 37-year-old will finally make his promotional debut in April, against ‘El Pantera’.
What do you make of these comments from Patricio Pitbull? Do you think he’ll defeat Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314 in Miami?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
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