Patricky Pitbull makes a case for title shot in RIZIN despite long skid

Patricky Pitbull | Photo via Sachiko Hotaka, RIZIN/Bellator

Patricky Pitbull enters RIZIN Landmark 13 this Sunday on a four-fight losing skid, the longest of his 40-fight MMA career, but still makes a case for earning a shot at the lightweight belt if victorious against Yoshinori Horie in Fukuoka, Japan.

A former Bellator lightweight champion, Pitbull lost a decision to Shunta Nomura in his most recent bout and saw his opponent earn a chance at challenging then-champion Roberto Satoshi. Nomura suffered an injury and was replaced by Horie, who lost his title bout in just 100 seconds and now tries get back on track against Pitbull.

“The man who’s going to fight for the belt, Luiz Gustavo, I’ve already knocked him out,” Pitbull told MMA Fighting. “The former champion of the organization [Satoshi], I’ve already knocked him out too. I think the belt could come my way at any moment. They don’t really care about rankings or win streaks in Japan, they just want to see a fight, they want to see a war. I think a win is a very important step toward fighting for the belt soon — maybe even this year.”

Pitbull’s “bad run” include his final appearances under the Bellator and PFL banner against Alexander Shabliy, Clay Collard and Bruno Miranda, but the Brazilian said he feels no pressure to deliver.

“I think those four losses, even though they are losses, any fighter at any level from any promotion wouldn’t have had much of a chance against them either,” Pitbull said. “Shabliy, Usman Nurmagomedov, those aren’t just random fighters. So I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I’m at a point where I don’t need to prove anything to anyone. I think the pressure is more on my opponent, who doesn’t like losing at home. He’s already lost once at home and gave an interview saying he’s going to pressure me, which is great.”

Pressured or not, the 40-year-old veteran said he finally walks into a fight injury-free. Professional MMA athletes are always dealing with small injuries here and there, he said, but old health issues have compromised his game for years now.

“They’re old injuries that have been with me since 2022, when I lost my belt,” Pitbull said. “I’ve had two serious chronic injuries since then, but this time they’re not holding me back. They’ve actually helped me a lot in the ground game, which was something I couldn’t really do because of my pubis. I had to do specific things to avoid feeling pain. I wasn’t kicking, my knees were very limited, my jiu-jitsu was very limited, my wrestling was very limited, but now I’m able to do everything, so I’m really happy about that.”

Horie was finished twice under the RIZIN umbrella, a pair of submissions against Satoshi and Vugar Karamov, and Pitbull eagerly seeks a stoppage for a monumental return in Japan.

“My opponent is a guy who apparently has a big deficit in jiu-jitsu,” Pitbull said. “His other fight against Satoshi ended very quickly, and he’s shown that in other fights as well. He likes to stall, uses some wrestling and goes for single legs, but I’m ready for all that. It’s a karate-style matchup, like my last opponent. My last opponent had a much higher level of karate, especially in the striking department. Not underestimating him, but this one is more static, more planted. He likes to trade, clinch a bit when he gets tired, and he’s at a disadvantage on the feet. I think this fight is going to go well.”

“I want to land some solid shots on him and see if he can take it,” he continued. “And if he can, I’m sure he’ll try to tie me up and clinch. The strategy is more or less based on that. I want him to grab me because then I’ll take him down and we’ll work from there and exploit his weaknesses. Apply pressure and wait for the right moment.”