Bellator mainstay Patricky Pitbull is set to welcome LFA champ Jaleel Willis back to the promotion next month.
Willis, Legacy Fighting Alliance’s welterweight champion, will be moving down to lightweight for the bout at Bellator 249. The event takes place October 15 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
MMA Junkie was first to report news of the pairing.
Pitbull, properly Patricky Freire (23–9), has not actually fought under the Bellator banner directly since February of 2019. Instead, he was essentially on loan to RIZIN, competing in the Japanese promotion’s lightweight tournament. There, he made it all the way to the final before losing a unanimous decision against Tofiq Musayev.
Overall, Pitbull is 7-1 in his past eight fights.
Willis (13-2) has won four straight bouts, most recently competing in August, when he defeated Vinicius de Jesus to claim the vacant LFA welterweight title. “The Realist” has competed for Bellator once previously, appearing at Bellator 162 in a “post-lim” fight that saw him defeat Omar Johnson.
The 28-year old from Memphis, Tennessee has also competed for the World Series of Fighting, and started his career on an 8-0 run.
Bellator 249 is set to feature the return of women’s featherwieght champion Cris Cyborg, making her first title defense against challenger Arlene Blencowe.
