Patricio 'Pitbull' accuses former UFC champ of 'running' from him before agreeing to UFC 314 debut opponent
02/21/2025 01:46 PM
Former two-division Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull’s UFC debut was hard to pin down allegedly due to a former champ’s reluctance to fight.
After an abrupt end to his Bellator tenure, Patricio Pitbull will make his UFC debut in April at UFC 314 in Miami. He returns to the cage looking to make a statement to kick off this new chapter of his career against former interim featherweight titleholder Yair Rodriguez, in what figures to be a high-octane matchup.
Pitbull’s addition to the UFC’s featherweight division adds another dimension to the title picture. His debut comes after Ilia Topuria vacated the featherweight belt to move up to lightweight, opening the door to the UFC 314 main event between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes.
While Pitbull vs. Rodriguez has fireworks written all over it, Pitbull says a former UFC titleholder ‘ran’ from him during UFC 314 negotiations.
Patricio ‘Pitbull’ mocks Aljamain Sterling for allegedly turning down debut opponent slot
During a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Pitbull accused Aljamain Sterling of swiftly turning down a booking for UFC 314.
“All of a sudden they asked if I would fight [Aljamain] Sterling in March, I said I’m in, but he ran,” Pitbull said. “Then they offered me Yair Rodriguez, but he didn’t respond. I messaged him in private. ‘What’s up brother? Where’s your Mexican pride?’…he said it’d be very gratifying to welcome me to the organization.
“But when the UFC contacted, he turned it down and asked for a ranked opponent…let’s see if he’ll stay on the fight or ‘get injured’.”
As of this writing, Sterling hasn’t responded to Pitbull’s allegations. Sterling most recently lost to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310 in December.
Pitbull’s Bellator/PFL release came after months of tensions building with the promotional brass. Aaron Pico and other top names are departing the PFL over strained relationships with the brass and fighting inactivity.
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Patricio ‘Pitbull’ could get quick title push after Ilia Topuria’s title vacation
Pitbull left Bellator as one of the promotion’s top names and is arguably the greatest fighter to grace the Bellator cage. During his promotional tenure, Pitbull defeated the likes of Michael Chandler, AJ McKee, and Juan Archuleta.
A win over Rodriguez could potentially catapult Pitbull into the title shot conversation. At 37 years old, a slow ascent into the title mix isn’t what Pitbull likely wants for his UFC career, following in the footsteps of fellow Bellator castaway Michael ‘Venom’ Page and others.
Sterling and Pitbull could potentially be on a collision course, depending on the result of Pitbull’s upcoming debut and a timeline for Sterling’s return fight.
