Born: July 7, 1987 (Age: 35) in Mossoro, Brazil
Division: Bantamweight
Height: 5’6”
Reach: 65.5”
Record: 35-5 (23-5 Bellator)
Association: Pitbull Brothers
Stage of Career: Prime/Post-Prime
Summary: Freire is an all-time great who demonstrates how
exceptional intelligence, technique and martial arts skill can
overcome physical limitations of height and speed. Freire, with his
unorthodox stance, stands at a considerable distance from his
opponents until he springs forward when he senses a weakness,
either battering them with kicks, his highly dangerous left hook,
his overhand right or his money punch: the right cross. Freire’s
own defense is quite good and difficult to penetrate despite his
short height and reach. Freire is also a major threat with his
grappling, as he combines underrated wrestling with an excellent
submission game. Cream-of-the-crop strikers may be able to exploit
his standup and elite wrestlers may be able to take him down, but
no one can match his outstanding discipline and decision making in
the heat of battle.
STRIKING
• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Average.
• Jab: He rarely uses it by itself and instead favors it as part of
a one-two.
• Cross: By far his fastest shot, on top of which it is beautifully
straight, sudden and carries knockout power.
• Left Hook: Somewhat slow with slightly unorthodox technique, but
it is short and powerful, having stunned
Emmanuel
Sanchez, among others.
• Overhand Right: Thrown with a perfect, tight arc. He is accurate
with the punch and even managed to counter
Michael
Chandler’s jab with it.
• Uppercuts: Rarely throws them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Likes short combinations of a
couple punches, but he is often a one-shot sniper when he is more
cautious.
• Favorite Combinations: Loves the one-two and the left hook-right
hook series.
• Leg Kicks: He occasionally telegraphs and throws them naked,
leaving himself open to counters or being caught.
• Body Kicks: Powerful and accurate, but he does not throw them
nearly enough.
• Head Kicks: Rarely throws them.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.
Freire patiently waits from a distance before springing into
action with his punches and kicks. He has two disadvantages: He is
short, with a limited reach, and his hand speed is only average.
However, “Pitbull” overcomes those hindrances with stellar
intelligence and technique. His most dangerous strike, a gorgeous
right cross, remains one of the best shots you will find anywhere
in MMA. Freire’s hook and overhand right are also quite good, and
if he finds himself out of range, he can punish opponents with
powerful kicks. The Brazilian could benefit from attacking the body
with his legs a little more often.
CLINCH
• Physical Strength: Usually matches or exceeds even strong
wrestlers like
Juan
Archuleta.
• Technique: Masterful, with textbook balance.
• Knees: Rarely throws them due to his height.
• Elbows: Does not throw them.
• Defense Against Knees and Elbows: Normally avoids getting hit
with them despite his diminutive stature.
Freire is too short to throw knees in the clinch, but he is
immensely strong and able to neutralize opponents’ attempts to
strike or take him down. Meanwhile, he himself can attain takedowns
in close quarters against many opponents.
GRAPPLING
• Wrestling from a Shot: Lacks some speed and explosiveness but
technically proficient, with nice rotation on his single-leg.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: He can change levels for a single and
offers an array of beautiful, sudden trips.
• Takedown Defense: Exceptionally difficult to get to the
ground.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Leans on nice hip escapes with which
he utilizes perfect technique.
• Submissions: Wields one of the best guillotines in the sport. It
is quick, tight and technical, and he has used it to submit solid
Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners like Sanchez,
Henry
Corrales and
Daniel
Straus. Also owns a solid rear-naked choke and dangerous
arm-triangle, along with various other maneuvers, including heel
hooks.
• Defense and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Takes minimal
damage there.
• Top Control: Only highly skilled opponents can escape from
underneath him.
• Ground-and-Pound: Surprisingly average and basic. Does not
inflict much damage with strikes on the mat.
Freire is an excellent grappler overall, if not quite among the
sport’s elite. He is an underrated wrestler, especially so from the
clinch, where he can land an array of takedowns and compete on even
terms with former NCAA wrestlers like Archuleta. “Pitbull” can be
taken down but only by the best wrestlers and with an especially
good attempt; even so, Freire is fantastic at getting back to his
feet. If Freire gets a takedown, his ground-and-pound is
unfortunately limited, but his submissions are highly dangerous,
his repertoire anchored by one of the premier guillotine chokes in
MMA.
INTANGIBLES
• Athleticism and General Physical Strength: Stout in both
areas.
• Cardio: A definite strength. He often looks strong for all five
rounds, even fighting against opponents with exceptional stamina
like Archuleta and Sanchez. Freire manages his energy especially
well.
• Chin: Durable. He absorbed a thudding kick from Sanchez when he
ducked in the opposite direction, only stumbling when he was struck
by a hard straight right soon after. The best evidence? Freire has
never been knocked out in his 38-fight career.
• Recuperative Powers: Remarkable.
• Intelligence: An all-time great. Freire is an extraordinarily
disciplined martial artist who consistently comes up with brilliant
gameplans, executes them marvelously, makes great decisions under
fire and finds ways to win despite physical disadvantages.