MMA world reacts to Patricio Pitbull attempting to become the first-ever three-division champion at Bellator 297

Bellator made it official today with an announcement that reigning featherweight champion Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire will challenge Sergio Pettis for the bantamweight championship at Bellator 297 on June 16.

The reigning featherweight champion will look to make history and become the first three-division champion. It would be a historic accomplishment, especially considering who he has fought and defeated in the past, and would definitely cement his legacy as the greatest fighter in the promotion's history. Fans and media reacted to the promotion's announcement and took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Famed MMA journalist Ariel Helwani wrote:

"Damn. Pitbull moving down to try and become a three division champ is tremendous theater"

"Pitbull has been teasing a move to 135 for some time. It doesn’t really interfere with the GP schedule. He’s the best fighter in Bellator history. He’s well suited for this position assuming the weight cut isn’t too bad." [@lthomasnews - Twitter]

"Pitbull is going for a THIRD world title. A potential three-division champion in MMA. Wow! Meanwhile, Pettis, coming off an injury, is fighting before the end of the Bantamweight Grand Prix. Huge gamble for both. Great fight! #BellatorMMA #MMA"

"And should be the main event. Patrício Freire is the biggest fighter in Bellator's history and will try to get to a unique place in the history of this sport." [@Vitor_MGoncalve - Twitter]

"Pitbull making his bantamweight debut trying to win a title in 3 division I hope this ends up being a great fight" [@combatsports10 - Twitter]

Patchy Mix and interim bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots will be competing in the finals and the winner will receive $1 million in prize money and a title shot against the winner of Pettis vs. Freire. The winner of the Grand Prix won't have to wait too long as Bellator 297 takes place less than two months after the finals.

"I LOVE that they are giving Pitbull a shot to win the bantamweight title and become a triple champ. Timing makes sense with Pettis healthy and the tournament still wrapping up. Great decision-making here to maximize the situation." [@aaronbronsteter - Twitter]

"Yeah I don’t see how @sergiopettis has a chance. But then again what do I know." [@HugoFIFA11 - Twitter]

"This should be the main event imo" [@cfcko6 - Twitter]

"I just can't believe Pitbull is really moving down to Bantamweight. And Sergio is a very winnable fight for him. He really could be our first 3 weight world champion." [@runningmma - Twitter]

"Nice! Gotta respect the hustle...Interesting to see how the weight cut goes" [@PD2091 - Twitter]

It will be interesting to see whether Freire will be successful in his quest for a third championship or if cutting an extra 10 lbs will affect his performance.

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When did Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire become a two-division champion?

Patricio 'Pitbull' Freire is undoubtedly the greatest fighter in Bellator history. He has been one of the mainstays of the promotion and one of their most notable fighters.

At Bellator 221, he joined the list of fighters to become a two-division champion in a major MMA promotion as he defeated Michael Chandler via first-round TKO. The fight saw two of the promotion's greatest fighters competing against each other, which was definitely a super fight for the promotion at the time because of what they had accomplished.

Freire made quick work of 'Iron' as he earned a first-round TKO win to win the lightweight championship. He then relinquished the title in favor of returning to 145 lbs for the featherweight Grand Prix.