Yahoo Sports Patricio Freire shares a monster of a toast with rival A.J. McKee after win in Japan
Patricio Freire beat Kleber Koike with a unanimous decision Saturday at Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator in Japan.
Take a look inside the fight with Freire, Bellator’s featherweight champion who beat his Rizin titleholder counterpart.
Kleber Koike vs. Patricio Freire
Result: Patricio Freire def. Kleber Koike Erbst via unanimous decision
Updated records: Freire (35-5), Koike (31-6-1)
Freire on the fight's key moment
Patricio Freire def. Kleber Koike Erbst
“I thought I could get him earlier, but he was much stronger than I thought. He got me with some kicks in the face. At the end, I was lucky enough to get the win.”
Freire on Koike's toughness
Patricio Freire def. Kleber Koike Erbst
“It was a very difficult fight. He was defending very good against my offense. It was a difficult fight, but I was happy to get the win. I’d like to fight again with Kleber Koike in 2023 – for the belt.”
Freire on what he wants next
“There was no title on the line, so next time I thought it would be good if we put the title on the line.”
To hear more from Freire, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Rizin FF 40: Rizin vs. Bellator.
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