Mixed martial arts legend Patricio Pitbull is keeping his head up after a less than ideal start to life in the UFC.
Pitbull, a former champion under the Bellator MMA banner, entered the Octagon for the first time at Saturday’s UFC 314 pay-per-view in Miami, Florida.
The Brazilian great jumped into the deep end against ex-interim titleholder Yair Rodriguez, and the Mexican’s renowned striking game ultimately proved too much for Pitbull on the night.
Following three rounds of action, which included a knockdown for “El Pantera,” the UFC newcomer fell to a defeat on the scorecards.
While Pitbull would appear to have limited time to reach his championship ambitions on MMA’s biggest stage given he’s joined at the age of 37, he remained positive about his goals while making his first public post-fight statement on social media.
“Congratulations to @panteraufc, we’ll see each other again. I’m injury free and ready to go at any time @ufc,” Pitbull wrote. “Thank you to all the fans, I’ll make you all proud, you can count on that. #UFC314“
