Patricio Freire says Bellator allowed him to make living

Before Patricio "Pitbull" Freire joined the ranks of Bellator, he had to rely upon his family to support him.

Two years after signing with the tournament-based promotion, the native of Natal, Brazil, said he can return the favor.

"I can pay my bills; I can help my family," Freire told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "I have money for myself, and I can help those people close to me."

The Brazilian could also take a big step up in notoriety. Back home, he's been fighting for so long that people around town know he's a Bellator fighter. But it's when he flies stateside that the impact of his work is most apparent.

"When I go to a city I've never been to, and the taxi guy knows who I am, and the guy at the bar comes to say hello and asks for a picture, saying that they saw me on TV," Freire said.

On his fight with Curran

"He's a very conservative guy that doesn't throw too many punches," Freire said. "When he does it, it's to finish the fight."

"We saw with the Joe Warren fight where he blew his load and gassed out," Curran said. "He's very powerful, very explosive, and with two years off, it's really hard to see how his style has changed or what to expect in the fight. But you've got to watch out for his power."

"It's pretty good that you can have the chance to fight again, but I'm training and doing my best to finish this fight," Freire said.

Read the fluff here... http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/01/featherweight-patricio-pitbull-freire-says-bellator-allowed-him-to-make-living

* Edited at 01.12.2013, 2:47 PM ET *

Pitbull is a legit dude, it will be interesting to see how he returns after such a long layoff. The words he had to say about Bellator are maybe true for now but I guess he never tried to fight elsewhere since he's there...

dielegende23

Joe lauzon been with the UFC since 2006 and makes a 27k base. he gets bonuses yes but so what. he still has a base pay of 27k, the bonuses are not a sure thing.

Freire been with Bellator since 2010 and id say he makes more than joe

Would be interesting to know that actually.

You say the bonuses don't matter ? In Bellator there are none anyways plus sponsor money is a big factor in the UFC, Bellator not so much.

I think overall Joe makes more in a fight but I could be wrong...

I work 15 hours a week at minimum wage.

I think I make more than Patricio Freire.

bonuses doesnt matter when talking about base pay. base pay is guaranteed bonuses are not. Freire had 100k after winning the tournament. They stopped making his base pay public but the last one was 15k n 15 k. id say by now he makes more than joe and i think its silly to think other wise  

Well the 100k are a bonus too. How would he go from 15k to in his last to over 27 now. He didn't fight for over a year. I think you are wrong Barrie. But who knows ?

Bellator pays its fighters pretty well. As far as talent level is concerned, they get payed about the same. For example Freire would probably make the same amount in Bellator as he would in the UFC.

is the 100k a bonuses? It never changes,it doesnt matter how you win

i dont know. i just dont like people saying the  UFC  pays so much better than everyone else. they pay the champion great but what about the rest of the folks.

True, but I only think the high profile fighters get a cut. Pretty sure Freire wouldn't get any PPV money.

"is the 100k a bonuses? It never changes,it doesnt matter how you win"

Yeah but you have to win 3 fights for it, it's not guaranteed because if you lose you get nothing... it's a win bonus.

Lets just say this. Joe is making enough money to where he was able to build, and open his own gym. It would be safe to assume that Joe makes more money. Pitbull hasnt fought in over a year. Joe fought 3 times in 2012, and made 3 Fight Night bonuses. Pitbull didnt go from 15k/15k to 27k/27k after sitting out for over a year.

@dielegende23

A win bonus is more solid than FOTN, etc. Those other bonuses are subjective, you could fight an all-out war early on the card only to be showed up later on and lose FOTN. Invicta is the only promotion I know of that splits bonuses. The UFC will occasionally give an extra bonus which is cool, but you're still at their mercy. I personally don't like the way the UFC tries to pay in all perks and bonuses. If my boss gives me a turkey for Thanksgiving, it's nice, but I don't factor it into my yearly salary.

(I'll admit that last line wasn't completely fair)

I get that but you still have to win 3 in a row against tough fighters ! Lauzon got a big paycheck last time he fought and he didn't even have to win his fight.

Lauzon's made over $500,000 in bonuses. And the "Of the Night" bonuses aren't the only ones the UFC gives out.

Bonuses aren't a gauruntee but if you have exciting fights they pretty much are. Of all the UFC fighters, how many that fight regularly complain about money? Almost none. Bellator simply does not have the same ability to pay its fighters that the UFC does. If they did, guys would be trying to move over but how many UFC fighters have said they would rather fight for Bellator? 

Pay Pier View sponsorship money> MTV 2 sponsorship money. Also Joe Lauzon gets paid for more events like signings and public appearances than Patrico makes.