Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Believes He Will Stop Alexandr Shabliy in Round 1 at Bellator 301

Feared knockout artist Patricky “Pitbull” Freire is extremely confident going into his clash against striking ace Alexandr Shabliy.

Freire (25-11) and Shabliy (23-3) will meet in the semi-final of Bellator MMA’s lightweight grand prix, which will open the action at Bellator 301. The event will go down at Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Nov. 17.

One of the biggest fan favorites in the world of mixed martial arts, Pitbull is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has scored 17 of his 25 career wins via knockout or technical knockout.

Training out of Pitbull Brothers gym in Brazil alongside younger brother Patricio Freire, Patricky is confident of pulling off a first-round stoppage against Shabliy.

“Of course, I am ready. I have the best team in the world full of world champions,” said Patricky at the Bellator 301 pre-fight press conference. “I trained with this team for more than 10 years and I believe in my wrestling, my striking and my team. I am prepared to go for the belt. I can finish this fight in the first round of this fight. Even if I am tired, my hands will still have power,”

Ranked No. 1 in Bellator’s lightweight division, Pitbull believes he is fighting for the title despite champ Usman Nurmagomedov not vacating his belt after being suspended due to a failed drug test.

“For me, this fight is for the title. It doesn’t matter if the belt isn’t there. The rules are the rules. If [Nurmagomedov] tested positive for banned substances, then he should relinquish the belt. That’s my opinion.”

Unsurprisingly, Patricky's No. 2 ranked opponent shares his opinion on this one. “I also believe this is the championship fight for the lightweight division. Primus lost and Nurmagomedov tested positive, this is now the lightweight championship,” said Shabliy.

Pitbull is coming off a leg kick TKO over Roberto Satoshi de Souza at a Bellator vs. Rizion crossover event in July, which saw him bounce back from a title loss against Nurmagomedov.

Meanwhile, Shabliy is riding an eight-fight win streak and hasn’t lost a bout since 2016. The Russian is coming off a controversial Round 3 stoppage win against Tofiq Musayev in March with the finish coming via a kick to the lower midsection that slid to the cup.