Patricio Pitbull defends title with a flurry of punches, TKOs Jeremy Kennedy (Video)

Patricio "Pitbull" Freire has defended his featherweight title yet again.

Freire took a round to wear down Jeremy Kennedy in the co-main event at Bellator Belfast but when he found his moment, he never looked back. After a brief scare, Freire put Kennedy against the cage and landed huge hooks, body shots, and elbows to finally cripple Kennedy and win the fight in the third round.

After the fight, he called out Aaron Pico, the PFL 145-pound champion and the UFC 145 champion. All before he decides to hang up his gloves. "I am the best 145-pounder in the world," he declared before leaving the cage.

Currently, the PFL featherweight champion is Jesus Pinedo, but that could change depending on the outcome of the PFL season which begins next month. Ilia Topuria currently holds the UFC title but a match-up between the two is highly unlikely unless Freire leaves the PFL/Bellator for the UFC.

Watch Patricio Pitbull's ending sequence right here

Freire was coming off two tough losses. He went down in weight to 135 pounds to challenge Sergio Pettis to become the first three-division champion but was unable to earn the win in that outing. Just one month later he stepped up on just a day's notice to fight at Super RIZIN 2. He was knocked out in the first round. He was supposed to fight on the PFL vs. Bellator card but was eventually unable to appear after two opponents pulled out of the fight back-to-back.

Kennedy was coming off a three-fight win streak including a huge win over Aaron Pico in 2022. He holds wins over Emmanuel Sanchez and Pedro Carvalho, both by decision.

Many critics had wondered if the 36-year-old Freire could still be competitive and hold tight to his title ... and he proved to everyone that he could.

At press time, it's unclear who the PFL will match Freire with next, but it's clear there will be a lot of option.