LAS VEGAS – Patricio Freire made his first appearance in a formal UFC setting Thursday when he attended and faced off with Yair Rodriguez at the UFC 314 press conference.
Legendary former multi-time, multi-division Bellator champion Freire (36-7 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his octagon debut against former interim UFC featherweight champ Rodriguez (15-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) in the featured bout of the April 12 event at Kaseya Center in Miami (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN/Disney+, ESPN+).
It’s been a long time coming for “Pitbull” to join the UFC, and he will jump right into the fray against a top-ranked opponent in Rodriguez, who will attempt to play spoiler for Freire’s debut.
Both men were respectful during the media event, but were intense when they got in front of each other for the staredown. Freire shook hands with White prior to the faceoff but neither man extended a hand to one another after they squared off.
Patricio Pitbull has his first UFC faceoff with Yair Rodriguez ahead of #UFC314 👏 pic.twitter.com/a5oj2UacOL
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 7, 2025
Check out the video above to see the first Rodriguez vs. Freire faceoff from the UFC 314 press conference.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 314.
