Patricio “Pitbull” Freire called out No. 5-ranked featherweight Jean Silva after knocking out Doo Ho Choi at UFC 331, saying Silva is avoiding him. Silva has won two straight, against Arnold Allen and Jose Delgado; Freire remains unranked at 145 pounds.
Freire told Ariel Helwani he believes their styles make a good matchup. He said Silva was “frozen” for three minutes against Jose Delgado and claimed Delgado nearly knocked him out at Noche UFC 4.
Freire said he had felt frustrated and emotionless for a period, brought back a coach who worked with him in Bellator, and made small training-camp changes that he said were successful. He said he now feels “50-50” and is “bringing it back.”
