Freire credits 11-year coaching reunion for first-round TKO of Choi at UFC 331

Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire finished Doo Ho Choi by first-round technical knockout at UFC 331, closing out the final bout of his UFC contract with a statement performance. The former Bellator champion credited the result to something that happened long before fight night: making peace with his longtime boxing coach.

Freire and Edelson Silva had worked together from 2000 to 2015 before drifting apart for 11 years, during which Silva spent time working on ten of Anderson Silva’s training camps. The two recently reconciled, and Freire says the reunion immediately changed how he approaches fighting.

“I wasn’t letting myself go in the previous fights, but thank God I was able to find myself again in this one,” Freire told UFC Brazil’s Evelyn Rodrigues after leaving the Octagon. “Edelson worked with me from 2000 to 2015. Unfortunately, we drifted apart for 11 years, when he worked on 10 of Anderson Silva’s camps. But we were able to work things out and make peace.”

The win ends a difficult stretch for Freire, who had struggled to replicate the dominant form that made him one of the most decorated fighters in Bellator history. By his own account, the psychological freedom that came with Silva’s return was the missing piece.

With the contract now expired, Freire’s future in the UFC remains uncertain. Dana White offered praise for the Brazilian’s performance at the post-fight press conference but gave no indication of whether a new deal is on the table. Neither Freire’s camp nor the promotion has publicly signalled which direction talks, if any, are heading.