UFC CEO Dana White is happy to have Patricio Freire as part of the UFC roster, and said the opportunity is now in his hands to see how far he can take things.
Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has been clamouring for the opportunity to join the UFC for years, and at 37, it has now finally come his way. After negotiating his release from PFL, the multi-time Bellator featherweight champion Freire got his wish and will debut against Yair Rodriguez (15-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) at UFC 314 on April 12 in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
“Pitbull” told MMA Junkie the day after his debut was announced that there was some reluctance from a high-ranking member of the UFC brass to bring him. According to White, everything changed when Freire gave a personal phone call. Now the UFC boss is intrigued to see what he can do.
“A phone call with him (convinced us),” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 252 post-fight news conference in Seattle. “I think that obviously he’s going to get the opportunity now to come in and challenge himself against the best in the world, and no matter where he’s at in his career, beating Yair is a big deal.”
The timing of Freire’s entry is nothing short of compelling. The announcement of his debut came in the same news package as White announcing Ilia Topuria had vacated the featherweight title and Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes would crown a new champion in the UFC 314 main event.
White stopped short of addressing whether Freire could be inserted as the backup fighter if one of the main event athletes fell out. He doesn’t want that situation to arise, but as things are currently planned, he said Freire’s is in a good spot to quickly elevated himself in he can open his UFC career by taking out a former interim champion in Rodriguez.
“If he comes and he beats Yair, I don’t know, we’ll see how this thing plays out,” White said. “But massive opportunity for him, and we’re excited to give him it.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
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