Patricio 'Pitbull' avenged his brother by knocking out Michael Chandler in shock 61-second fight
02/20/2025 12:09 PM
Patricio Pitbull’s career in Bellator was filled with incredible performances and brutal knockouts but not many were better than his KO over Michael Chandler.
Patricio Pitbull will go down as one of the greatest fighters in Bellator MMA history having won featherweight and lightweight gold during his 14-year tenure.
Unfortunately, his time with Bellator ended relatively sourly as Pitbull continuously called for his release, claiming that PFL didn’t offer him any fights after they acquired Bellator.
Despite that, his wish was finally granted earlier this year when he was released by the PFL after months of online disputes. It was then announced this past Wednesday by Dana White, that Pitbull will make his UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314.
Patricio Pitbull avenged his brother with a huge KO against Michael Chandler
One of, if not the biggest scalp of his career thus far, was when Pitbull took on Michael Chandler for the Bellator lightweight title back in 2019.
Just three years prior, ‘Iron’ Mike had rendered Patricio’s brother, Patricky Pitbull unconscious when the two met for the vacant lightweight title.
After losing and subsequently regaining the title, Chandler booked his title defense against Patricio at Bellator 221, looking to leave him unconscious as he did his brother.
Months of bad blood during the lead-up to the fight resulted in it being one of the most anticipated fights in the promotion’s history and it was put to bed after just a minute.
Both lightweights came out of the blocks fast looking to take the center of the cage. Just a minute into the fight, Pitbull landed a big right hand as Chandler looked to close the distance, dropping him to the canvas.
The Brazilian dived on Chandler as he turned onto his stomach and Pitbull began reigning down ground-and-pound before the referee quickly stepped in with Pitbull avenging his brother’s loss.
Patricio Pitbull and Michael Chandler will both compete at UFC 314
Before signing with the UFC, Pitbull was widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters to have never competed under the UFC banner.
Finally, though, the 37-year-old will finally make his promotional debut on April 12 when he takes on Yair Rodriguez at UFC 314.
Chandler will compete in the co-main event in Miami, taking on Paddy Pimblett in a five-round fight.
Because he is a big name in the sport, a win over Rodriguez could earn Pitbull a shot at the featherweight title, which be competed for between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes after Ilia Topuria vacated the title.
