Patricky Pitbull eyes stomp knockout victory in RIZIN return |
26/07/2025 01:00 -
No one has scored more knockouts inside the Bellator cage than Patricky Pitbull, and he wants to continue to build that reputation in Japan. Pitbull signed an exclusive deal with the organization after leaving PFL and will face Shunta Nomura at Super RIZIN 4 on Sunday morning.
He has already competed four times in Japan, facing top-competition inside the RIZIN ring, and won three of four via knockout — including a finish over current lightweight champion Roberto Satoshi. Pitbull landed soccer kicks to stop Luiz Gustavo, attacks he wasn't allowed to throw in Bellator and PFL, and hopes to secure other old-school finishes.
"I hope not to take this fight to the third round," Pitbull told MMA Fighting. "Japan is a place that gives me more freedom to be more aggressive, I can't explain exactly why. Maybe it's because the rules are a bit different, there are stomps involved. We'll be allowed to throw elbows [on the ground], too. I think that helps me be aggressive on the feet and end with the stomps on the ground."
Pitbull won twice via stomps in MMA, a pair of knockouts in the Brazilian circuit two decades ago. More experienced as a former Bellator lightweight champion and a gym leader alongside his brother Patricio Pitbull, the 39-year-old believes he could be a win away from a shot at Satoshi with a win over a "tricky" Nomura.
"I know it's quite possible if I put on a good performance," Pitbull said. "I'm not counting on it. I don't know if they will decide to give me one more fight and hold this rematch a bit longer, but a good fight, a good performance, there's a good chance they book this one for the biggest event of the year [on New Years' Eve]."
Pitbull and Satoshi met on the second Bellator vs. RIZIN show in July 2023, and Satoshi's title was not on the line. Representing the North American promotion in a cage instead of Japan's traditional ring, Pitbull chopped down Satoshi's legs before the eventual stoppage in the third round.
Satoshi is currently riding a four-fight winning streak dating back, finishing every single opponent in the opening round since March 2024.
"He's the undisputed champion, no one can take the belt from him, but I've beaten him in a different time," Pitbull said. "He took the fight on two weeks' notice and we were fighting in a cage, and I don't know if that hurt him. That's not an excuse, but maybe he didn't have the ideal time to prepare for me. I was training to fight A.J. McKee and I was training for a while, and had already fought a month before."
