Patricky Freire Reveals Knee Injury Could Force Him Out of PFL Season

Former Bellator MMA champion Patricky Freire’s debut in the Professional Fighters League against Clay Collard was one of the most anticipated fights of the organization’s 2024 season.

The bout lived up to the hype, as the Brazilian floored Collard in the opening stanza before suffering a technical knockout loss at the 1:32 mark of Round 2 on Friday at the Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.

Freire revealed that his change in demeanor late in the opening frame was due to an injury that plagued him in his camp.

“This camp was very tough for me,” Freire told Sherdog.com. “I had tendonitis in my knee that forced me to have an injection 10 days ago, otherwise I wouldn't be able to fight.

"A lot of people asked me after the fight why I changed my aggressive posture after the knockdown. [It was because] I felt some kicks he landed in addition to the injury.”

Freire revealed that he is scheduled to undergo a healing stem cell treatment in Colombia. Depending on how that procedure goes, “Pitbull” could be forced to withdraw from the remainder of the PFL season.

"I'm going to Colombia to undergo stem cell treatment. It takes one week,” Freire said. “I hope this treatment has results because if I can't train well, I won't risk fighting the second stage in these conditions again. I will make this decision with a cool head. My focus now is to recover and return 100%.”