Patricio Pitbull is reportedly set to make his second UFC appearance opposite one of featherweights most entertaining fighters later this summer.
Patricio Pitbull Draws Fan-Favorite In Surely Entertaining 145-lb Scrap
Following his split from the Professional Fighters League earlier this year, Patricio Pitbull made his highly-anticipated UFC debut to much fanfare from the mixed martial arts community. Formerly hailed as one of Bellator’s most recognized competitors, the Brazilian had held company gold on four different occasions, once at lightweight and thrice at featherweight.
Exiting the PFL after most recently defeating Jeremy Kennedy at Bellator Champions Series 1 in 2024, Patricio Pitbull made the jump to the UFC, signing with the promotion in February. He would make his freshman outing to the Octagon at UFC 314 in a showdown with Mexican sensation Yair Rodríguez, who once held the UFC’s interim 145-lb championship.
Having trouble with dealing with his adversary’s considerable reach and height advantage, Pitbull largely struggled to get any meaningful offense going, whilst “El Pantera” picked apart the Bellator staple from a distance. While he did have his moments in the bout, including catching Rodríguez with what looked to be a tight armbar, Pitbull wound up losing his debut match by unanimous decision.
Patricio Pitbull Draws Hawaiian Power-Puncher for Next UFC Contest
Undoubtedly eager to net his first win in the organization, and return to the winner’s circle, Patricio Pitbull is seemingly set to lock horns with popular featherweight athlete Dan Ige, with news of the apparent fight being first reported by Léo Guimaraes. The pair is expected to come to blows later this August at UFC 318 in Chicago.
EXCLUSIVO: Patricio Pitbull enfrenta Dan Ige no UFC 318, em 19 de julho pic.twitter.com/vA7epzoGme
— Léo Guimaraes (@leoguimaraesmma) June 3, 2025
Unlike his Brazilian opposition, Ige is coming off an amazing victory over the towering Sean Woodson at the last card that Pitbull himself competed at, UFC 314, knocking out “The Sniper” in the third round. Although the stoppage was controversial, the win got Ige back on the board after dropping his last two fights to Diego Lopes and Lerone Murphy.
For both men, a lot will be riding on the line for their futures as contenders in the stacked UFC featherweight category. Falling short in his debut, Patricio Pitbull will need to clear his latest challenge in order to jumpstart one final run toward MMA gold. In a similar position, Ige, now 2-3 in his last five bouts, will also need to come out on top to keep his own title aspirations alive. Whatever the outcome, fans around the globe will surely be treated to an absolute thriller of a slugfest when these two 145-lb standouts hunt for yet another highlight reel stoppage to add to their resumes.
