Freire knocks out Choi in Round 1 at UFC 331 and calls out Jean Silva

Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire silenced doubts about his UFC future by knocking out Doo Ho Choi with a single right hand in the first round at UFC 331 on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The featherweight contest was the final fight on Freire’s contract, making the finish as timely as it was emphatic.

Freire had entered the night under pressure. His UFC run to that point had been underwhelming — back-to-back losses to Yair Rodriguez and Aaron Pico, bookending a narrow unanimous decision over Dan Ige that few considered convincing. The former Bellator champion had openly stated his desire to remain in the UFC and promised a performance that would earn him a new deal.

He delivered. A monstrous right hand dropped Choi (17-5) and brought the crowd to its feet, giving Freire (38-9) the kind of highlight-reel finish that contract negotiations are built around.

In his post-fight interview, Freire was candid about his previous struggles and pointed toward what comes next. “I’m sorry about my last three fights,” he said. “I feel that [UFC 331] was my debut. I don’t know what happened to me. But I’m so happy… The pressure here is bigger [than Bellator]. But now I feel comfortable… Jean Silva, let’s see who is the dog.”

The callout was pointed. Silva (18-3) has built a reputation for taunting opponents and has finished five of his six UFC victories, with his only loss coming against two-time title challenger Diego Lopes. Silva most recently stopped Jose Delgado at Noche UFC 4 earlier in September, keeping himself firmly in featherweight contention.

A matchup between Freire and Silva would pit two finishers with contrasting UFC trajectories against each other — and, given both men’s flair for the dramatic, it is the kind of fight the division could use.