How long is Patricio Pitbull sidelined for? Bellator star undergoes surgery for herniated discs
Patricio Pitbull recently suffered the first knockout loss of his career, and to make things worse, he suffered an injury that will put him out for months.
The Brazilian, whose real name is Patricio Freire, recently fought at Super RIZIN 2, held on July 30 in Japan. The Bellator record holder of championship wins suffered the first knockout loss of his career at the hands of Chihiro Suzuki, who caused a massive upset. Following the fight, his team released a statement saying he would be out for 6 months.
The MMA fighter had suffered a spinal injury and underwent surgery for his C6 and C7 herniated disc. The surgery was done in Brazil and was a one-hour-long operation. Pitbull also said the injury had an impact on both his recent losses:
"I avoided surgery because once you do it there's no coming back and there were risks involved, like not returning to fighting again. I was very conservative and paid the price. I had never lost two in a row nor got knocked out in 19 years as a professional. My only way out was doing the surgery."
Take a look at the post on Instagram:
Patricio Pitbull claimed that the injury directly affected his performance and he only did it as a last resort. The surgery could have made him unable to fight again, but according to his statement, it went well and he will make a return in 6 months.
Patricio Pitbull gives a timeline for his return and reveals his plans for another title match
Patricio Pitbull is happy to get the surgery done and thanked his doctor and his team for successfully executing the surgery. The Bellator legend is looking to avenge his losses when he returns to fight in 6 months. However, following spine surgery, it is tough to say whether he will be on the same level as he was before. Here's what he plans to do according to the same Instagram post:
"I will come back stronger to defend my title and do a rematch with Pettis for the bantamweight title, and another (rematch) with Chihiro Suzuki to defend my Bellator title."
The former Bellator champion is looking to avenge both his losses and win back both his titles as soon as he comes back. If he is able to do so, he will have proven that it was, in fact, his injury that was holding him back in the fights.