Bellator MMA featherweight champion Patricio Pitbull doesn’t expect Bellator to ever make it to his native Brazil.
Talk of the promotion heading to the South American MMA hotbed has swirled for years, but the company has never managed to pull the trigger despite having Brazilian champs including Cris Cyborg, Patricky Pitbull, and brother Patricio over the years.
Now the face of the company, Patricio Pitbull (35-7) for one appears to have put thoughts of fighting at home behind him.
“To be sincere, I’ve kind of given up on that dream. I’ve been told by three different owners that they were going to bring it to Brazil,” Pitbull told media outlets including Cageside Press during the Bellator Belfast media day on Wednesday. “First Bjorn Rebney, then Scott Coker, and now Donn Davis. And it still hasn’t happened. I’m 36 years old, I’ve been waiting for it to go to Brazil for 14 years. Me and my brother were champions. Many champions come from Brazil, but I don’t see it happening, since it hasn’t happened yet. So I’m just going to keep doing my job and continue moving forward.”
Pitbull has been at the top of the company for a decade now, much like UFC star Jon Jones. The Brazilian, who fights Jeremy Kennedy this Friday in Belfast, Northern Ireland, isn’t sure why he’s been able to maintain his “Bellator GOAT” status for so long.
“When Jon Jones and I die, you guys should study our bodies because we’re the only ones that have been able to maintain at this level of being champions for over a decade. I don’t know why, how I’ve been able to accomplish this, staying on top for so long. Basically since 2014 and it’s 2024, that’s 10 years.”
Later, Pitbull would simply proclaim “I am Bellator.”
Watch the full Bellator Belfast media day appearance by Patricio Pitbull above.
