Forgive
Patricky
Freire if some of his enthusiasm has been curbed by all the
starts and stops. The former
Bellator
MMA
lightweight champion has fought just three times since the
end of 2019, his efforts undercut by groin and heel injuries,
bursitis, a herniated disc and shoulder tendinitis, along with a
bout with the flu and a positive coronavirus test.
“After capturing the Bellator belt, I thought everything was going
to go better regarding my fighting frequency, but unfortunately, I
was limited for almost a year due to injuries,” Freire told
Sherdog.com. “I had to postpone fights twice.”
Freire returned from a yearlong absence on Nov. 18, when he
surrendered his 155-pound title to
Usman
Nurmagomedov in a five-round unanimous decision at Bellator
288. “I went ahead even though I wasn’t healed yet,” he said. “I
couldn’t train jiu-jitsu or striking properly. The pain was very
limiting.” Out of desperation, Freire sought out treatment at
BioXcellerator in Colombia. “It was my last hope. At no time did I
stop undergoing physical therapy and looking for a way to get
better. I’m very thankful to them.” Now fully healed, the
37-year-old Brazilian will lock horns with
Roberto
Satoshi de Souza when their lightweight grand prix quarterfinal
headlines
Bellator x Rizin 2 on Saturday at the Saitama Super Arena in
Saitama, Japan.
“I’m very happy to be in this tournament without limitations,”
Freire said. “I’m kicking as I want to, and I’m back to using my
jiu-jitsu. Those are things I couldn’t do. I’m back on my game
almost a year after my last fight. I’m ready for another win.”
Satoshi fills in for the injured
A.J. McKee on
less than a week’s notice and poses a serious threat to Freire’s
plans. The two-time Abu Dhabi World Professional Jiu-Jitsu
Championship gold medalist owns a 15-2 record that includes
victories over
Satoru
Kitaoka,
Mizuto
Hirota,
Kazuki
Tokudome and
Johnny Case.
Satoshi rebounded from a decision loss to McKee in December by
outpointing
Spike
Carlyle at Rizin 42 on May 6.
“He’s no joke,” Freire said. “When Satoshi fought McKee, I felt he
won. I told him so in person in the locker room. He’s very
dangerous, and he’s not fooling around.”
Should “Pitbull” get past Satoshi, a date with
Alexandr
Shabliy awaits in the tournament semifinals. Shabliy kicked off
his run in the eight-man draw with a third-round technical knockout
of
Tofiq
Musayev in March. It was his eighth straight win.
“He’s another Russian fighter who’s quite complete,” Freire said.
“I’ll concentrate on him after this fight. Hopefully, I can get a
win without any serious injuries so I can get back to training. For
now, though, I’m only thinking about Satoshi.”
The winner of the grand prix—Nurmagomedov and
Brent
Primus are set to square off in the other semifinal—receives a
life-changing $1 million payday. Freire does what he can to keep
such thoughts out of sight and out of mind.
“Money is something that can be very helpful in an athlete’s life,
but I’m not thinking about that,” he said. “I’m focused on beating
my opponents. There’s a lot to do. It’s a long road. Money will be
the result of breaking down those barriers.”