The remaining hopes of Bellator faithful are with 38-year-old
Freire (36-8, 0-1 UFC), who fell short in his UFC debut to Yair
Rodriguez. He will get a second chance to make an impression on the
side of the fence, this time drawing brick-chinned Hawaiian Ige
(19-9, 11-8 UFC). With 36 pro wins, “Pitbull” has the rare
distinction of a perfectly evenly distributed method of victory—12
knockouts, 12 submissions and 12 decisions. On the other hand, Ige
is two submission triumphs away from going seven-seven-seven in
those categories. Whether the math adds up or comes up with an
error message after the dust settles, referee Dan Miragliotta will
be properly following the order of operations. The 155ers decide
against tapping their gloves together to initiate their melee. Ige strikes first with a low kick, and Freire counters him with a
right hand over the top. Freire chops down the front calf, keeping
his hands up to block a one-two. Freire kicks him again in the
front leg, and he backs off as two punches are aimed at his
stomach. They clash together but miss their swings, and Ige
recovers first and pops his gloves off Freire’s guard. Ige surges
into action behind two punches, not overcommitting to long
exchanges or falling victim to counters. “Pitbull” blocks a head
kick and pushes out a jab to the belly. When Freire kicks his lead
leg, Ige rushes at his foe with arms extended. Freire is able to
get out of harm’s way well enough, and he shoots for a single and
ducks under to grab Ige from behind. “Pitbull” slams his foe on the
mat, and when Ige explodes back to his feet, Freire trips him back
out and lands him on his face. Ige stands once more, scooting
towards the wall to stand up, and he nearly hits a switch to
reverse his position. Freire stays heavy to thwart the reversal, and he leans on Ige’s
neck with a guillotine choke that is not there. The fans grow
restless at this exchange where both men are stuck, and Miragliotta
asks for more work. Ige listens, bouncing to his feet and just
missing with a left hook. Freire fires off a right hand in response
to a heavy calf kick, and he takes a step back to watch a front
kick dangle in front of his face. The fighters measure one another
from afar, not committing to anything of note as the round ends.
Boos rain down throughout the Smoothie King Center. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Freire Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Freire Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Freire

The fighters resume their staring match when the round commences,
with Freire in the center of the cage while Ige circles around him.
Two Ige kicks are blocked, and his overhand right is as well.
Neither fighter is willing to engage with much of note, taking
turns and waiting for the other to engage. This insipid performance
continues for the good part of a minute, as fans are not thrilled
with this inactivity. Ige hears the crowd turning on him and turns
it up with a kick and three punches. Freire gathers a head of steam
and counters with a kick. Ige keeps his lead hand down, seemingly
not concerned about the power from the Bellator fighter coming his
way. Ige steels himself to block a punch and counter with two that
are much higher velocity. Freire tags Ige with a single left hand,
but it is one-and-done as both men reset. Freire catches his foe with an uppercut coming in, stinging the
Hawaiian. Ige backs off, and Freire targets him with another fierce
uppercut. The concussive power of “Pitbull” knocks Ige back to the
fencing, where he unloads a lengthy combination of head and body
shots to try to break Ige down. Ige is tough as nails, keeping
himself in the game and escaping while lessening the blows coming
his way. Freire allows Ige to swing past him so he can land his own
shots, and he tackles Ige to the floor and lands in side control
with a move that appears more forceful than technical. Freire
starts a slow but methodical ground attack, sitting above Ige in
butterfly hooks while working him to the body and occasionally
head. A few more damaging blows from “Pitbull” connect right before
the bell. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Freire Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Freire Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Freire

Freire rushes in to attack as the final round kicks off, and Ige
boots him flush upside the head with more of his knee than shin.
Freire hits the ground, nose crunched, but he is not out of it yet.
Ige lets his foe up so he can tag him with two punches. Freire, not
staring down the barrel of an aggressive assault, shoots in for
takedown and leverages the Hawaiian to the floor. Ige keeps moving,
scrambling wildly enough to get back to his feet. After a lull, Ige
tosses out a body kick, and Freire complains that it bumped his
groin. Miragliotta calls time, and the replay show that the heel of
Ige jammed the Brazilian in the cup. They get back to it after
about 30 seconds of break, with the bridge of Ige’s nose trickling
blood marked up during an exchange. He bears down on the former
Bellator champ and lays into him with punches until Freire shoots
on his hips. Ige aggressively thwarts the takedown like a cantankerous old man
shouting at youngsters to get off his lawn, and Freire tries a
second time to ground the Hawaiian. Ige sprawls against the fencing
to get out of the level change, walking Freire down and trying to
hit him with an over hand right. Freire goes for a takedown, is
bowled up, and falls to his back to hunt for a leglock to either
force a standup or perhaps elicit a tapout. Ige ignores it to drop
down right hands on Freire’s face, and the two slug it out in their
awkward position until three rounds are in the books. Based on how
underwhelming the match was, the promotion known for its post-fight
largesse may skip a $50K check for “50K” tonight. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Ige (29-28 Freire) Ben Duffy scores the round: 10-9 Ige (29-28 Freire) Tyler Treese scores the round: 10-9 Ige (29-28 Freire)

After so many years wondering how “Pitbull” Freire (36-7, 0-0 UFC)
would stack up against UFC opposition, it’s time to put him to the
test. At the tender age of 37, while the Brazilian might not be in
his athletic prime, he still is a force to be reckoned with at 145
pounds. For his promotional debut, he draws former interim champ
Rodriguez (19-5, 1 NC; 10-4, 1 NC UFC), who has dropped two
straight. The two will be joined in the cage by referee Andrew
Glenn, who tells them to go. They do not touch gloves. Tentative to
engage immediately, they both appear to understand the stakes of
their meeting. Unfortunately, this leads to no noteworthy strike
thrown for the first 50 seconds. Rodriguez strikes first with a leg
kick, and he fires off two punches to follow. Freire responds with
a punch before backing away. Freire gets off a heavy leg kick, and
he hops back when Rodriguez tries to stomp his knee. Rodriguez
sneaks up a kick disguised low that goes high, and he pitches the
same odd front kick a second time to split the guard. Rodriguez
ignores a leg kick to fire off a head kick that clatters off the
raised hand. An inside leg kick from the Mexican goes low, and
Freire asks him to not kick him in the groin. Rodriguez leaps in
the air with a jumping switch kick, with “Pitbull” blocking it
without concern. Rodriguez sprints forward, reaching out with a
left hand that sets up a head kick, and Freire takes it on the chin
without clinching. Rodriguez rips a kick to the body, and Freire
slaps his side and suggests he toss another. Freire considers a
takedown, and he abandons it to leap out with two punches. Freire
lands at the end of a low kick, and he kicks Rodriguez’ legs out
beneath him when Rodriguez responds. “Pitbull” leaps on top,
getting to half guard and imposing his weight down. Freire grinds
down with an elbow, and the bell rings. Freire signals that he was
struck to the back of the head, and Rodriguez says he did not mean
it. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez

The fighters touch gloves, with Freire still upset about a few
minor back of the head strikes. Rodriguez once more apologizes, and
they return to their staring contest. Freire suddenly goes up high
with a kick, and he then scores a kick on the lead leg. Rodriguez
probes with calf kicks and stomp kicks to the knee, and Freire
surprises him with a left hand. Rodriguez fires back, and Freire is
there to punch him square in the face. Rodriguez kicks him in the
stomach, and when Freire protests that it was low, Rodriguez wags
his finger at him. Rodriguez hacks at the lead leg, landing the far
heavier blow compared to Freire’s response. Freire parries four
kicks aimed at him and skips forward to engage, walking directly
into an uppercut and twirling around to shoot for a takedown and
deposit the Mexican on his back. Rodriguez scoots his way to the
fencing and back upright, breaking free without taking any damage.
Freire swats away a body kick, but the quick subsequent calf kick
gets in. Rodriguez darts forward with a straight right hand,
snapping the head back, and he zips away before taking a counter.
Both men sit down on power hooks, and Rodriguez wraps a head kick
up and around the guard. “El Pantera” goes off with a body kick and
another head kick, and he bounces off the cage wall when “Pitbull”
pounces towards him. Freire slips a punch to counter, walking
through a leg kick and a body kick in hopes of putting hands on his
opponent. Rodriguez is slippery like a banana peel, sticking and
moving with a one-two and launching kicks from both legs to
multiple targets. The body kick from the former interim champ lands
with a thud, prompting Freire to sell out with a takedown shot.
Rodriguez stuffs it and gets jammed against the wall, where he
proceeds to stomp Freire’s toes until he hits a throw and places
the Brazilian on the mat at the bell. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez

Rodriguez tries to get a glove touch to start off the final frame,
but Freire wants nothing to do with it. Instead, they do nothing
but stand in front of one another. Rodriguez takes a spin kick and
springs back and forth with stances, ultimately throwing a low kick
30 seconds in. Freire gives him one right back, and his guard is
high enough to defend a kick. Freire leans forward, pushing past
kicks but not before Rodriguez kicks him in the ribs. “Pitbull”
ducks and digs a left to the liver, and he bears down on Rodriguez
and catches Rodriguez when Rodriguez tries to spin in close range.
Freire gives chase, walking down the ex-interim beltholder but not
cutting him off. When Rodriguez lands another body kick, Freire
suggests that he was kicked in the groin again. Glenn tells them to
get back after it, and Rodriguez answers his call with a jump knee.
The second he lands, “El Pantera” unleashes a vicious left and
right that send Freire collapsing to the canvas. Rodriguez climbs
into the guard, allowing Freire to close it around him so he can
pummel the UFC newcomer with ferocious punches and elbows. Freire
sits up to try to tie up the Mexican, and Rodriguez chops him up
with elbows like Ginsu knives. Out of nowhere, Freire snatches up
an armbar and rolls over, and Rodriguez somehow twists the right
direction to wriggle his arm out of it. Rather than stand,
Rodriguez goes for a leglock, sitting down to crank a heel hook as
the two work in 50-50 position. Freire goes for his own heel hook,
but Rodriguez’ is closer and tighter. Rodriguez frees his foot and
turns over to crank the hook, and Freire crawls away, leaps back up
and busts Rodriguez in the chops. Rodriguez raises his arms and
dances away, spinning with one final wheel kick that just misses
the mark. The fight ends, and Rodriguez bows to his opponent. Jay Pettry scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (30-27 Rodriguez) Brian Knapp scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (30-27 Rodriguez) Tristen Critchfield scores the round: 10-9 Rodriguez (30-27
Rodriguez)

Patricio Freire

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