Patricky Freire’s Quest for Consistency

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, 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.”