Patrício Freire (born July 7, 1987 in Natal, Brazil) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in Bellator MMA where he is the current Bellator Lightweight World Champion and two-time and current Featherweight World Champion. He is the younger brother of lightweight fighter Patricky Freire. He is the second-ever simultaneous two-weight champion in Bellator MMA history. He is currently ranked as the #4 featherweight in the World by Fightmatrix as well as the #1 featherweight outside of the UFC.
Freire began training Brazilian jiu-jitsu at the age of ten to help fend off the stigma of his size. As a teenager, he trained at the famed Chute Boxe academy alongside notable MMA stars such as Wanderlei Silva and Mauricio Rua.
Freire made his professional MMA debut in March 2004 at the age of 16. For the first five and a half years of his career, he competed in his native Brazil and amassed an undefeated record of 12-0 with all but two wins coming by way of stoppage.