Patricio Freire finally secured his first finish in the UFC, putting on a show at UFC 331 when he knocked out DooHo Choi at 3:28 of Round 1. After going the distance in all three of his previous octagon appearances, “Pitbull” delivered a definitive statement that brought his UFC record back to .500.
The First-Round Blitz
From the opening glove touch, the featherweights engaged in a steady exchange of strikes. Choi, with his longer reach and taller frame, landed some early shots from range, but Freire answered every jab with solid power of his own. The momentum shifted hard when a big punch from Freire actually gave Choi pause. The exchanges kept coming, and Freire landed another strong shot, opening a nasty cut over Choi’s right eye. You could feel the pressure building. Choi tried to fire back, keeping Freire honest, but it wasn’t enough. Freire charged forward like a freight train, connecting with a massive 1-2 combo that finished with a right hand so precise it just froze Choi in his tracks. He went to the canvas, and Freire followed up with fight-finishing ground-and-pound. Total domination.
The Callout and the Stakes
After that absolute clinic, Freire took to the mic and actually apologized for his past UFC performances. Talk about owning your narrative! But he quickly pivoted to what’s next, making a huge callout to a top-five-ranked featherweight. “Jean Silva, you next,” Freire declared, “Let’s see who is the dog.” With this win, “Pitbull” now stands at (38-9 MMA, 2-2 UFC), adding Choi to his list of UFC wins which also includes Dan Ige. His setbacks came against Yair Rodriguez and Aaron Pico, so getting this finish and evening his UFC record is massive for his trajectory. For Choi, this knockout sadly snapped an impressive three-fight winning streak, a run that saw him stop Bill Algeo, Nate Landwehr, and Daniel Santos, all by stoppage. That’s a tough streak to see end like that.
UFC 331 saw plenty of other action as well. Sean Sharaf delivered a lightning-fast knockout of Gable Steveson in just 0:12 of Round 1, and Ryan Gandra also snagged a Round 1 knockout against Ozzy Diaz. Marlon Vera earned a TKO over Charles Jourdain in Round 3, while Joanderson Brito finished Giga Chikadze in Round 1. We also saw some hard-fought decisions, with Alonzo Menifield, Robelis Despaigne, Michael Aswell, and Edmen Shahbazyan all picking up wins, while Casey O’Neill locked in an armbar submission. But the biggest takeaway? Freire is back, he’s dangerous, and he’s got his sights set squarely on the top of the division. Get ready for a potential showdown with Jean Silva that could be absolutely wild.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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