BELFAST, Northern Ireland - Bellator featherweight champion Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is interested in crossing over to boxing to face UFC Hall of Famer Jose Aldo.
Aldo retired from mixed martial arts in 2022 but is making a comeback at UFC 301 on May 4 in Rio de Janeiro. The former two-time featherweight champ and Brazilian legend will face Jonathan Martinez with one bout left on his current UFC contract.
Freire, who's scheduled to defend his title against Jeremy Kennedy in the co-main event of Bellator Champions Series Belfast on Friday at SSE Arena, sees Aldo taking the UFC 301 bout as a way to become a free agent and focus on boxing.
"I think he has to do that fight because he wants to fight in boxing," Freire told theScore and other reporters Wednesday. "Maybe we're going to fight in boxing. Let's see."
Freire floated the idea that Jake Paul's Most Valuable Promotions could promote the fight in association with the PFL, the latter of which acquired Bellator in late 2023 and has a deal with Paul, a YouTube star turned boxer. Aldo-Freire would be one of the first high-profile boxing matches between two MMA fighters on top of Nate Diaz versus Jorge Masvidal 2, which was recently announced for June 1.
When asked what he needs to do on his end to make a boxing match against Aldo possible, Freire said, "Just talk to (PFL chairman) Donn Davis and tell him to make it happen."
"I'm friends with (Aldo), he's a Brazilian patriot as I am, we follow each other on social media," Freire said through an interpreter. "But that's a fight that should happen."
Freire added that he doesn't believe Aldo will compete in MMA again after UFC 301. Freire, one of the top fighters in Bellator history, is also from Brazil and said it "makes more sense" for him and Aldo to fight in their home country than anywhere else.
Freire has never competed in boxing, but he's primarily a striker in the cage. Aldo has fought three times in the ring since retiring from MMA, putting together a 2-0-1 record. He had a high-profile boxing match against UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens last April.
"I've always wanted to see that fight," Freire's coach, Eric Albarracin, said of a potential matchup with Aldo. "I've always wanted to see (Freire) against Conor McGregor, against (Alexander) Volkanovski, and these guys - just to prove that he's the best in the world the way that I know it."
