Patricky Freire: Clay Collard not the most 'dangerous' in PFL's lightweight division
Patricky Freire knows Clay Collard can bring it, but doesn't believe he's the most dangerous lightweight in the PFL.
Patricky Freire is days away from his PFL debut, and couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity to face new opponents.
At 2024 PFL 2 on April 12 at The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Freire (25-12 MMA, 0-0 PFL) faces Clay Collard in their first lightweight bouts of the regular season. It will be Freire’s first fight under the PFL banner after the promotion acquired Bellator, where ‘Pitbull’ called home since 2011.
“I fought like close to everybody in Bellator,” Freire told MMA Junkie Radio. “So now it’s different, and now I have new opponents, new challenges. It’s going to be great. I’m very excited to show how ‘Pitbull’ bites.”
Behind his exciting, all-action fight style, Collard (24-12 MMA, 6-4 PFL) has become an attraction during the PFL’s regular and postseasons. Last year he won three straight to reach the championship, but came up short of the title and $1 million prize. Freire is excited to get the opportunity to share the cage with someone like Collard for his first PFL fight since his Bellator days.
“I love the fight against him,” Freire said. “He loves to fight with the hands, me too. He loves to fight like a fireworks, me too. So, it’s going to be great. Don’t blink, guys. I’m very excited to show my power.”
While Freire knows what Collard brings to the table offensively, he doesn’t believe his opponent is the hardest out on this season’s roster.
“No, I don’t think so,” Freire said when asked if Collard is the toughest opponent in the division. “I believe there are more dangerous guys like (Brent) Primus and (Gadzhi Rabadanov). These two guys are very strong guys, very strong fighters. … Let’s see what happens.”
At 38, Freire joining the PFL’s regular season came a surprise to some. The grueling pace of making weight repeatedly over shorter periods of time has turned some of the Bellator veterans away, but Freire is up for the challenge, at least for now.
“I don’t know,” Freire said when asked how much longer he plans to fight.”But now I can do this, I can beat my opponents. I can finish my opponets, so I don’t stop right now. I keep hungry. I’m going to keep fighting this year. I don’t know about next year, but this year, I’m very excited. I’m happy to show my game in PFL.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for PFL 2024, Week 2.