The greatest fighter in Bellator history wants to teach elite boxers a lesson after securing his MMA legacy

• Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is seen as the greatest fighter in Bellator MMA history.
• The Brazilian told Insider this week that his legacy is something for others to decide.
• For now, he wants to write more history as he fights in Bellator's biggest ever battle on Saturday.

Patricio Freire makes another walk to the Bellator MMA cage Saturday as one of the pound-for-pound stars of his sport.

A win would cement his place among the prizefighting Gods - those who have established their name in the weird and wild world of professional face-punching, chokeholds, and merciless ground-and-pound.

From a land that produced some of the fight game's most celebrated names like Jose Aldo, Fabricio Werdum, and Anderson Silva, Freire is another Brazilian who has forged an indelible legacy in the most grueling of sports.

He's already done it all. Freire's achieved rare, champ-champ status as a title-winner at featherweight and lightweight. He's won Bellator tournaments before, and he's even got a 61-second knockout win over Michael Chandler.

The body of his work cannot be questioned. In 17 years as a pro MMA fighter Freire has built a record of 32 wins (11 knockouts, 12 submissions, and nine decisions) against just four losses.

And, heading into his 37th fight, Freire's motivation to run the gauntlet remains strong. He is as committed as ever to open a cut, crack a skull, and separate a man from his consciousness.

Insider spoke to the veteran this week, ahead of his Saturday showdown against fast-rising American fighter A.J. McKee at The Forum in Inglewood, California.

The high-stakes fight tops the Bellator 263 event on Showtime. The winner earns $1 million.

It is one of the most significant combat sports events of the year, pitting the greatest fighter in Bellator history in Freire, against the young upstart who wants to conquer the world.

It could be a passing-of-the-torch moment, akin to Teofimo Lopez beating Vasiliy Lomachenko in boxing in 2020, or Conor McGregor leathering Aldo in 13 seconds in 2016.

It seems almost ridiculous to ask Freire what is motivating him today, considering he's already achieved so much in the sport. But the answer is simple, really. He wants that torch all to himself. Freire is not done carrying it just yet.

"I want to keep cementing my place forever as the greatest fighter in the history of Bellator," Freire told Insider through a translator.

He told us he "didn't leave any chances to" any of his featherweight Grand Prix opponents to get to this stage in the competition - the final. But McKee, with his TV-friendly style, presents a new challenge.

"He is a young kid who has the chance of making his dream a reality, so it makes things a little bit more challenging for that reason.

"I've been like him, at one time I was undefeated and thought no one could touch me," said Freire. "There are upsides and downsides to that. He needs to know the other side of the coin, right now. And I'm going to show him how it is."

Insider spoke to Freire mid-week, days after he'd already taken part in a face-to-face media event. It is during those moments when combatants can download data they might not have otherwise collected just from watching video footage of their opponent during fights.

"The truth is in the eyes and they don't lie," Freire said. "Everything he says is not what he thinks. He gives all that talk - but he's nervous.

"If he tries to dictate the rhythm of the violence he's going to be surprised, as I'll be the one dictating that. I think I win this fight no matter which way it goes. I see myself winning everywhere."

A win further cements Freire's legacy

Though Freire confidently expects triumph no matter what kind of fight materializes against McKee, he is not ready or willing to rank himself amongst the sport's best Brazilians.

Silva and Aldo are respectively seen as the best fighters in the UFC's middleweight and featherweight divisions, while Werdum has enjoyed a career that put him in the conversion as a top heavyweight.

Freire's success is seemingly synonymous with Bellator's, but he told us he gives no thought to any of that.

"My place in the history of the sport is for other people to judge," said Freire.

"But I've been fighting on a high level for a very long time, and I'm the only man to hold two belts in the world today. My accomplishments speak for themselves."

This weekend's fight is important and significant to world MMA.

Freire is dialed-in for the win, but has ambitions to continually seek out similar challenges in the future.

He wants to continue as a champ-champ in Bellator by defending his lightweight championship once, before relinquishing it so his brother, Patricky - the No.1 at 155-pounds - can vie for the crown.

Freire then wants to dip back to featherweight and continue his run at 145-pounds. While that is going on, he'll be calling up the executives at Showtime to demand a boxing match against one of the broadcaster's top boxers.

"I really would love to have a boxing fight," Freire said. "Some American fighters have been fighting in boxing, but haven't been boxing for a very long time. I've been training in boxing for over a decade and so I feel confident in my skills there."

With Floyd Mayweather defeating Conor McGregor in 2017, and Jake Paul annihilating Ben Askren earlier this year, it seemed like MMA fighters losing to boxers in boxing had become a trend.

Silva bucked that, though, when he outclassed Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. - a former boxing champion - at an event in June.

Now Freire wants a turn.

"I've seen many MMA fighters losing boxing matches, though we just had Anderson winning against a respectful opponent. I would like to continue that trend," he said.

"Showtime has a lot of boxers. I'd like to fight someone at a high level, who is not at the end of their careers, so I can add that victory to my resume.

"Aside from that, I'd like to defend my lightweight belt, then vacate it because it's my brother's division. It's his division and he should be fighting for it.

"I'd focus on featherweight, my division, continue to improve my records, set new records."

Should he beat McKee, few would dare doubt him.