PFL vs. Bellator card finalized, Patricio Pitbull receives replacement opponent

The PFL vs. Bellator card is now finalized and features the return of Patricio Pitbull.

Last November, the PFL completed their long-awaited buyout of Bellator. For most of 2023, there were discussions about the Scott Coker-led brand being bought. In the end, Donn Davis and the company decided that a roster containing the likes of the aforementioned Patricio Pitbull and Cris Cyborg was too good to pass up.

With the news of the buyout, came PFL’s plans to book a card featuring the best of both brands. Ultimately, the card was announced for February 24th in Saudi Arabia and will contain champions from both brands. Given the company’s business ties to Saudi, the announcement didn’t come as a huge surprise.

Still, the card has received some hits in the last few weeks. Notably, fights between Patricio Pitbull and Jesus Pinedo, as well as Jason Jackson and Magomed Magomedkerimov were lost. While ‘The Ass Kicking Machine’ quickly got a replacement opponent in the form of Ray Cooper III, the Brazilian was left waiting. Until today, that is.

Earlier today, the PFL announced that Patricio Pitbull will be facing a short-notice replacement in the form of Gabriel Alves Braga. It’s worth noting that the Brazilian was already booked to face Bellator contender Aaron Pico on the undercard of the event. However, Braga was pulled to face Pitbull. As a result, Pico will now face Henry Corrales in a rematch of their 2019 classic which saw ‘OK’ win by knockout.

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Image via @patriciopitbull on Instagram

PFL vs. Bellator card finalized for February 24th in Saudi Arabia

For Gabriel Alves Braga, the featherweight clash will be arguably the biggest of his career. The Brazilian is currently holding a 12-1 record, last being knocked out by Jesus Pinedo in November. In the process, missing out on $1 million, and becoming the PFL featherweight tournament winner.

Meanwhile, Patricio Pitbull will enter the PFL vs. Bellator card this Saturday night in a must-win. As of now, the featherweight champion is riding a two-fight losing streak, but neither bout came at 145 pounds. Last June, he suffered a decision loss to Sergio Pettis at bantamweight. The following month, he was knocked out by Chihiro Suzuki at Super RIZIN 2.

With the announcement of Patricio Pitbull vs. Gabriel Alves Braga, the PFL vs. Bellator card now goes as follows:

• Heavyweight: Renan Ferreira vs. Ryan Bader
• Middleweight: Impa Kasanganay vs. Johnny Eblen
• Featherweight: Patricio Pitbull vs. Gabriel Alves Braga
• 182-Pound Catchweight: Ray Cooper III vs. Jason Jackson
• Heavyweight: Bruno Cappelozza vs. Vadim Nemkov
• Light Heavyweight: Thiago Santos vs. Yoel Romero
• Lightweight: Clay Collard vs. A.J. McKee
• Featherweight: Aaron Pico vs. Henry Corrales
• Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Emmanuel Palacio
• Women’s Super Lightweight: Claressa Shields vs. Kelsey DeSantis
• Featherweight: Abdullah Al-Qahtani vs. Edukondala Rao

What do you make of this fight announcement? Will you be watching PFL vs. Bellator card on Saturday?