Patricky Freire has been on something of a roller coaster recently. The longtime Bellator MMA standout carried a six-fight win streak into the final night of the Rizin Fighting Federation lightweight grand prix nearly four years ago but has gone 3-3 since. In that time, “Pitbull” won the Bellator lightweight belt, then lost it to Usman Nurmagomedov, only to have Nurmagomedov fail a post-fight drug screen. While his loss to the Dagestani has been officially overturned to a no contest, the fate of the belt remains in limbo.
For less of a seasoned veteran than Freire, those ups and downs might be a serious distraction, but he responds with the equanimity of a man who has seen it all, professionally speaking.