Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (31-4) faces Emmanuel Sanchez (20-4) at Bellator 255 Friday, April 2 and he expects more of the same from Sanchez.
Just before they face off on the first event broadcast on their new home on SHOWTIME, the current featherweight and lightweight champ spoke with MMA News and it seems he and Sanchez share the same opinion of one another since they last squared off.
“He’s still the same fighter,” said Freire. “He seems to have a little bit more precision in his shots. He misses less punches than he used to but he’s pretty much the same fighter he used to be when we first fought.”
Oddly enough, Sanchez had a similar sentiment when looking ahead to Bellator 255 and comparing their last match from Bellator 209. Sanchez said he still sees “the same Pitbull”, and made mention of holes in his game. Freire won a unanimous decision over Sanchez in that fight and has collected many victories since then.
For Sanchez, that was his last loss, and has won his last three fights since. Two by way of decision and one submission. Obviously still champion since they last met, Freire, has been collecting wins of his own and in the Featherweight Grand Prix quarterfinal made a statement with his first-round knock out over Pedro Carvalho at Bellator 252.
If they both see each other as the same fighter, does that mean fans should expect the same result? Not according to Freire who expects to advance past Sanchez to face A.J. McKee in the final.
Freire said, “If I come out of this fight with no injuries, the sooner the better for me. Like June, July at the latest but in one month, two months it would be good.”
Bellator 255 airs this Friday on SHOWTIME and the network is offering viewers who are new to the SHOWTIME streaming service a 30-day free trial, followed by a discounted monthly subscription fee of $4.99/month for the next six months. To get the offer, viewers should sign up at SHO.com/BellatorMMA.
