"Fighters come last" - Patricio Freire on UFC's decision to hold events in May

Bellator's 'Champ-Champ' Patricio Freire is one of the most successful MMA fighters in the world. He is the reigning Lightweight and Featherweight champion at Bellator and has five successful 145lbs title defenses under his belt already. Freire's biggest accomplishment is the fact that he has achieved so much without ever having stepped inside the Octagon, which is synonymous with prize fighting with in the world of MMA.

"Pitbull" has always maintained that he is content at Bellator and his most recent comments regarding the UFC's handling of the ongoing situation with the coronavirus pandemic are clearly indicative of the fact that we might not see him competing inside the Octagon in the near future.

Pitbull says UFC's treatment of its fighters is "inhuman"

In a recent interview with MMA Fighting, Freire said that he is not buying into the idea of Dana White's 'Fight Island' and even if he were a billionaire, he'd still choose to sit back and wait until the whole pandemic situation is under control.

“If it was my money, (and) if I were a billionaire, I would do what Bellator is doing. I can’t say a date that might not be cleared. ‘Oh, I’m going to rent an island.’ Is that even doable? I would do just like Bellator, wait for the market to react, and when the government opens everything, when you can bring in fighters from other continents. (UFC) is only making noise for the media, creating a mess and making money.”

Freire was also specifically critical of the fact that the UFC is seemingly prioritizing money and profits ahead of the fighters on its roster and the heath of their families. Pitbull said that "Fighters come last" for White's promotion and it's treatment of its fighters is "inhuman".

“My impression is that fighters come last, right? Fulfilling contracts come first, making money, and f**k it. Bring entertainment for those at home, and f**k the fighter if he’s going to catch the virus or die. It seems inhuman.”