Gabriel Braga Steps in to Face Patricio Freire at PFL vs. Bellator

The PFL vs. Bellator card has undergone some last-minute shuffling during fight week.

2023 PFL featherweight finalist Gabriel Braga will step in against Bellator champion Patricio Freire following the withdrawal of Jesus Pinedo due to injury. Multiple outlets confirmed the booking following an initial report from Ag.Fight.

Meanwhile, Aaron Pico, who was Braga’s original opponent, is expected to remain on the card in a rematch against Henry Corrales. That bout was first reported by MMAjunkie.com.

Braga was victorious in his first 12 professional outings — including three triumphs during the 2023 PFL campaign — before falling to Pinedo via third-round TKO at the organization’s championship event this past November.

Freire is coming off back-to-back losses to Chihiro Suzuki and Sergio Pettis. Prior to that, “Pitbull” had been victorious in 10 of his previous 11 professional outings.

Pico and Corrales initially squared off at Bellator 214 in January 2019, with Corrales winning via knockout in 67 seconds. Pico is 8-1 under the Bellator banner since 2020, including a first-rond stoppage of Pedro Carvalho in his most recent outing.

Corrales had a three-bout winning snapped in his last appearance, when he dropped a unanimous verdict against Kai Kamaka III at Bellator 300.