Patricio Pitbull extended his losing streak to four fights following a poor performance against 38-year-old Shoko Sato at a Rizin event. Having missed weight ahead of the bout, Pitbull was ineligible to win by decision under Rizin rules and needed a finish to avoid a losing outcome. He absorbed nearly every strike thrown at him and struggled badly in the grappling exchanges throughout the fight.
Patricio "Pitbull" Freire's recent run of poor form deepened on August 11 when he fell to Shoko Sato at a Rizin event, extending his losing streak to four consecutive fights in what was widely regarded as one of his most difficult nights inside the cage.
The bout carried an added layer of consequence for the 39-year-old Brazilian featherweight before a single punch was thrown. Freire missed weight in the lead-up to the contest, making him ineligible to win by judges' decision under Rizin's rules. That meant he needed a finish to avoid registering another loss on his record. He could not find one. Now sitting at 37 wins and nine defeats, the Pitbull Brothers representative was on the wrong end of the striking exchanges for much of the fight and found himself in serious trouble whenever the action went to the ground. The southpaw Sato — 38 years old himself — landed at a rate that exposed Freire's defensive vulnerabilities throughout.
Freire, who stands five feet six inches tall with a 67-inch reach, built his reputation as one of combat sports' most decorated featherweights over more than a decade. He averages 2.68 significant strikes landed per minute with a 43 percent striking accuracy rate and contributes on the mat as well, averaging 1.49 takedowns per 15 minutes. The current numbers at divisional rank 15, however, reflect how far his stock has slid in this latest chapter of his career.
Why it matters
- Four straight losses represent an unprecedented low point in Freire's lengthy career at the elite level.
- Rizin's weight-miss penalty rules effectively stripped him of any path to victory before the opening bell.
- A fighter who was once a two-sport world champion now sits outside the top tier of the featherweight rankings, raising real questions about what comes next.
