Pitbull Freire Blasts Choi, Chito Vera Snaps Skid in UFC 331 Undercard Chaos
Patricio Pitbull earned a first-round KO in his last contracted fight while Marlon Vera set a UFC bantamweight knockdown record.
The UFC 331 main card delivered fireworks from top to bottom on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. Beyond the headline fights, two veterans made emphatic statements about their futures.
Patricio "Pitbull" Freire knocked out Doo Ho Choi at 3:28 of the first round in a featherweight bout that may have saved his UFC career. The former Bellator double champion, fighting on the final bout of his UFC contract, attacked aggressively from the opening bell and dropped Choi with a powerful right hand before finishing with ground strikes, per LowKick MMA. Freire improves to 38-9.
"I feel that UFC 331 was my debut," Freire said afterward, per Sherdog, acknowledging that his previous UFC run included losses to Yair Rodriguez and Aaron Pico plus a lackluster decision win. He called out Jean Silva and noted that the pressure of fighting in the UFC is far greater than Bellator.
In the bantamweight division, Marlon "Chito" Vera snapped a brutal four-fight losing streak with a TKO victory over Charles Jourdain. Vera, who entered as a +200 underdog, dropped Jourdain three times before Jourdain signaled he had taken enough punishment in the third round, per Sherdog. The three knockdowns set the UFC bantamweight record for most in a single fight.
"I have never made excuses in my life. My immigrant mentality is the most important" factor in his comeback, Vera said, per Sherdog. He improves to 23-12, earning his first finish in four years, while Jourdain drops to 18-8.
Two veterans, two careers on the line, two finishes. This is why I never skip the undercard. Pitbull was on the last fight of his contract with losses to Rodriguez and Pico behind him, and he came out like a man who knew it. Dropped Choi with the right hand, finished on the ground, and called it his real UFC debut. I believe him. He fought scared before. He fought like a Bellator double champ on Saturday.
The Jean Silva call-out is the right one. Silva is a killer and that fight would be violent from the first second. Sign him and book it.
Chito at +200 was a great number and I hope some of you got it. Four straight losses and people had him buried, then he drops Jourdain three times, sets a bantamweight record, and finally gets a finish after four years. The immigrant mentality line was not a soundbite. That was a man who refused to be done. Both guys just bought themselves another year.
