Bellator lightweight title challenger Patricky Pitbull says rival Peter Queally has all the pressure on his shoulders heading into their lightweight title battle at Bellator 270.
Pitbull and Queally are set to face off in the main event at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, with the newly-vacated Bellator lightweight title up for the grabs.
And, despite the added stakes of the bout being bumped from a three-round co-main event to a five-round main event title fight, Pitbull says he’s happy and relaxed ahead of the upcoming clash.
“I’m so happy for this opportunity that my brother gave me, to fight for the title,” he said during a virtual media day session in Dublin.
“So I want to enjoy the moment, I want to enjoy the fight, I want to enjoy this great opportunity.”
Pitbull’s shot at lightweight gold comes as a direct result of his brother Patricio relinquishing the 155-pound title to focus his efforts on regaining the featherweight title he lost to A.J. McKee in the final of the Bellator featherweight grand prix earlier this year.
Remarkably, Patricky said his brother’s decision to drop the title and allow his brother a crack at the gold came as a complete surprise.
And with the matchup set to take place in Queally’s back yard in Dublin, the Brazilian was grinning from ear to ear as he explained how much he was looking forward to fighting behind enemy lines at the raucous 3Arena.
“It’s great because I want to fight in his house, in front of his family, in front of his friends, in front of his team,” he smiled.
“I’m so happy for this opportunity to beat him in front of his whole friends, family and the guys from his gym. I love this.”
The prospect of fighting a hometown favorite on enemy territory may seem a daunting one for some, but Pitbull appears to be relishing the prospect, and stated that all the pressure ahead of their title fight was actually on Queally, rather than himself.
“I don’t have any pressure for this fight,” he explained.
“It’s a normal fight. It’s just another fight. It’s different because it’s a rematch, so I don’t care about the pressure.
“Who has a lot of pressure is Peter Queally, because he’s fighting in front of his friends and family.
“He’ll think a lot about the fans, because the fans, ‘Oh laa! Ole, ole ole… Zombie! Blah blah blah!’ So I don’t know.
“I don’t have any pressure… It’s no different for me.”
Pitbull was in relaxed spirits throughout the virtual session, and seems mentally dialled in ahead of what should be a spectacular clash.
He even had time to make a little joke at his own expense as he explained how he had tweaked his approach to avoid a repeat of their first fight, where he was defeated by Queally via injury TKO due to cuts.
When asked what he’d changed ahead of the rematch, Pitbull grinned, and simply said, “Lift my head up when I take him down!”
