Picks up first UFC victory Freire defeated Dan Ige via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) at UFC 318 on Saturday in New Orleans. Impact Pitbull looked awful on all fronts in his much-anticipated UFC debut against Yair Rodriguez in April, but the fighter we saw this evening looked much more like the guy that was arguably the greatest performer in the history of the Bellator promotion. Pitbull made a constant point to attempt to wrestle Ige, and for the most part, it worked. He landed 5-of-9 takedown attempts, and while it led to little ground control time (2:44), the shots served to keep Ige off balance. Pitbull landed one huge strike in Round 2, while Ige returned fire with a similar blow in Round 3. The Brazilian would be better served to fire off more volume on the feet on a consistent basis, but as Daniel Cormier correctly pointed out on the broadcast, Pitbull's output increases when he has his opponent hurt. The 38-year-old should be able to work his way into at least a handful more notable fights during his UFC run.
JULY 20 • ROTOWIRE
