At the UFC’s fifth promotional visit to Miami, many fighters left the arena after suffering tough losses. However, one veteran in particular was left “heartbroken” after dropping a bout despite a very promising start. The reason? The UFC 327 star suffered a grim injury during the fight that compromised his movement throughout the contest.

Former four-time Bellator champ Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire had a solid start against former Bellator colleague Aaron Pico at UFC 327, which featured prelims. But after the first round, the veteran looked considerably slower as Pico started landing multiple combinations. The commentators at UFC 327 also noticed the drop, and they just didn’t understand why. After 15 minutes, judges declared Pico the winner via unanimous decision. Highly disappointed by the outcome, ‘Pitbull’ now reveals he fractured his orbital bone during the first round, which compromised his vision in the second round and resulted in a monumental loss.

“Congrats to my opponent — he was well-trained and really fast,” Pitbull said on Instagram. “Some people said I was doing well in the first round, but my performance dropped sharply after that. I took a clean shot to the eye with my eye wide open, a jab and a straight right, and it fractured my orbital bone.

That compromised my vision at the start of the second round, so all I could do was try to protect myself from the blows that were coming. Even though my heart is broken, I’m fine,” he added.

To be fair, Pitbull likes to land big shots on his opponents without putting much emphasis on volume. In the first round, he landed 17 significant strikes compared to Pico’s 25. That shows the Brazilian was trying to follow a game plan, which was to hurt Pico in the exchanges. But from the second round onwards, that game plan started to deviate.

Though ‘Pitbull’ landed 19 significant strikes in the second round, which was two more than the first, he also absorbed 49. It became clear Patricio wasn’t evading Pico’s strikes, instead becoming a non-movable target in the pocket. In the end, the Californian landed 100 of 181 total significant strikes, which was considerably more than ‘Pitbull’s 49 of 88.

However, ‘Pitbull’ isn’t the only fighter to suffer a broken orbital bone. Veteran UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes also suffered a broken orbital bone and a nose fracture after going through a 15-minute war with emerging superstar Josh Hokit at UFC 327, and is now expected to be out of competition for three to six months.  The UFC hasn’t announced the suspension period, but the Brazilian could face a similar recovery window after sustaining injuries. Furthermore, Patricio’s previous herniated disc surgery complicates his return even more.

Now, as Patricio ‘Pitbull’ looks to recover, the bigger question becomes: what’s next for him? The Brazilian has already cleared the air on that front.

Patricio ‘Pitbull’ wants to stay in the featherweight division after UFC 327 loss 

Following the loss to Pico, Patricio has now dropped two fights in the UFC. His only win came against Dan Ige at UFC 318, and while that’s not a bad victory, fans believe the Brazilian could find better success at 155 lbs. However, ‘Pitbull’ seems adamant that he can still compete in the featherweight division.

“I’m aware of what I can still do in this weight class, but I’m also aware that, after taking a few steps back, I need to take a longer path,” he wrote in a social media post. He further added, “And I won’t talk about the title for now. I need to fight a few more times and get myself back in that position. I’m ready. My heart is broken because no one likes to lose. It was a fight I felt very confident about; I was sure I was going to win.”

After the UFC updated its latest rankings, Patricio has dropped two spots to No. 15, while Pico moved up to No. 13. In that scenario, the promotion could match the Brazilian with an unranked fighter next. But given his name value, the UFC could also pair him with No. 14-ranked David Onama.

That said, what do you think should be next for Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire in the UFC?