Former Bellator MMA double champ Patricio Pitbull was in search of his first win inside the octagon at UFC 318, where he took on Hawaii’s “50K” Dan Ige.
Pitbull had lost a lackluster decision to Yair Rodriguez in his debut at UFC 314; the match-up with Ige, however, was one that promised to produce fireworks. And Ige, for his part, was looking past Pitbull’s debut performance, still considering him a top five featherweight in the world.
Ige looked light on his feet early in the UFC 318 main card’s second contest, targeting Pitbull’s lead leg with kicks. He then went high, but that was easily blocked by the Brazilian. Pitbull landed a kick of his own, leading Ige to burst forward in response. Patricio then ducked under a Pitbull volley, locked on with a bodylock, and landed a takedown, with the pair eventually scrambling to the fence. Pitbull latched on with a front headlock, but was nowhere near a submission, leading to a stalemate with Ige eventually standing back up.
Back on the feet, Ige switched stances, and they’d finish out the frame there. In the second, Ige went after the leg kicks, while Pitbull sat back, still seemingly reluctant to pull the trigger despite likely winning the opening round. He finally got off a right hand, and later fired a weak leg kick. Ige, meanwhile, landed with a combo while Pitbull covered up. Pitbull got his jab going later in the round, and he eventually got off a good shot on Ige. Patricio finished the round with a takedown, possibly doing enough to claim another close round on the scorecards.
The third round nearly spoiled a strong start by Pitbull, as Dan Ige landed a head kick as Patricio moved in! The knee connected more than anything, but Pitbull survived, hanging on to a leg initially. After regrouping, Pitbull landed a takedown, but Ige grabbed a leg and was able to scramble free. Ige would fight off the next takedown attempt, with the Hawaiian having his best round of the right. Pitbull did find a landing spot for his right hand, the latch on with another bodylock, 90 seconds left in the fight. Ige could not shake Pitbull off for a good 30 seconds but did finally break free. And when Ige fired another head kick, Pitbull caught it and dumped him.
Headed to the scorecards, it appeared Patricio Pitbull had done enough to secure his first win under the UFC banner.
Official Result: Patricio Pitbull def. Dan Ige by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
