Patricio Pitbull has reigned as Bellator Featherweight King for many years. He also beat Michael Chandler to win a lightweight gold. In addition, he flew to Japan to defeat Lysin’s champion, Clever Koeek.
Now it’s time for him to compete in the octagon, and his Pitbull brothers teammate Leandro Higo is sure he will shine in the UFC.
Higo and Pitbull compete in Florida this week, with Higo making his PFL debut in the main event of PFL 2 at Orlando, facing off against last-minute replacement Marcirley Alves on April 11th. Pitbull will fight Yair Rodriguez for the first time in UFC 314 the following night.
“I believe he’ll be a champion in the UFC,” Higo told MMA Fighting. “All the fighters that went from Bellator to the UFC worked well. The only former champion who didn’t do well in the UFC was Wilbrooks.
The UFC Featherweight Belt wins the grab in the main event of UFC 314 in Miami, with former title holder Alexander Volkanovsky taking on the rising sensation Diego Lopez.
For Higo, a good performance could line up Pitbull as the next guy in his 145 pound class.
“Depending on the performance, he could also be the next challenger, and he’s all about being the champion,” Higo said. “He trains with the champions and he is the best in the world.”
Higo and Pitbull have had to split their teams in half as they are spending their final day of preparations 230 miles away in Florida, but Higo plans to drive to Miami the day after the fight to watch Pitbull’s first octagonal walk.
“As soon as the fight is over, I’ll follow the path to Miami,” Higo said. “I want to see Pitbull debut. I think he knocked him out.”
On Friday, against his second short-term alternative, Higo hopes to secure his first victory on the way to win a $500,000 award at the end of the PFL Bantamweight Tournament. Josh Lettinghouse was first intervened when Magamed Magomedov retreated from the lineup, and was replaced by Alves after not clearing on the morning of measurement.
“My opponents are constantly changing, but if you want to be a champion, you have to go through adversity,” Higo said. “Sadly, now both enemies are unable to gain weight and after he was the replacement, they have to fight the Brazilians.
“I know him, we’ve fought the same card before, but we’re both grown ups and we’re at work. This is my first step in the tournament, God is my first victory, my second victory, my third victory, and I’m going to win that half a million.”