· Patricky “Pitbull” Freire Joins Brother For Bellator Season 4
Press Release:
CHICAGO, Ill. (February 11, 2011) –Bellator Fighting Championships have reunited “The Pitbull Brothers,” as the promotion has confirmed Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Patricky “Pitbull” Freire as a participant in the upcoming Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament, which will air LIVE on MTV2 starting in March. His brother Patricio “Pitbull” Freire has already been confirmed for the highly anticipated Bellator Season 4 Featherweight Tournament, which will also be held this season on MTV2.
Residing in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, Patricky currently trains out of Team Nogueira alongside his brother and many of the best fighters in the sport, including UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva, Strikeforce champions Rafael Feijao and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and the Nogueira brothers, Antonio Rodrigo and Antonio Rogerio.
A 7-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu State Champion, 2-time Regional Brazilian State Champion, as well as a Kickboxing and Boxing State Champion, Patricky brings an impressive 7-1 record to Bellator, but never having fought outside of Brazil, Freire is thrilled to bring his game State side.
“I’m very anxious to show fans in the United States what I'm capable of,” said Freire. “Ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted to fight at a really high level, and now I will with Bellator. I have always trained and fought very hard, and now it's time to test myself in deeper waters.”
“We’ve had our eye on Patricky for quite some time now, and it’s great to have both “Pitbull Brothers” fighting under the Bellator banner,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.
With a stacked lightweight tournament lineup, Freire knows getting his shot at current Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez won’t be easy. But before he gets to Alvarez, Freire has his sights set on his first tournament opponent and a $100,000 payday.
Admittedly anxious to enter the Bellator cage for the first time, the talented 25-year-old Brazilian knockout artist makes no secret as to how this tournament can change his life, stating, “There were several times I thought about giving up on my fight career. It's very hard to make money fighting in Brazil, but now I can see if you keep looking for your dream, you can make it happen.”
Freire joins Ferrid Kheder, Rob McCullough, Carey Vanier, Michael Chandler, and Lloyd Woodard as confirmed fighters for the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament, all of which will compete LIVE on MTV2 for the chance at $100,000 and a shot at Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez.
For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator
About Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.
About MTV2
MTV2 is a man's best friend, available in nearly 80 million homes and with the highest concentration of males 12-24 and 12-34 on TV today. A vibrant mix of music, lifestyle and action sports programming, MTV2 has reflected the habits and behavior of young people since its launch in 1996. MTV2 is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom, one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.
