Patricio Pitbull considered pulling out of Bellator 241 after birth of second son last week

Teresa Freire gave birth to Miguel on March 1st, and two-division Bellator champion Patricio Freire considered postponing his upcoming fight days after becoming a father for the second time.

“Pitbull” is scheduled to defend his featherweight title in a tournament quarterfinal clash with Pedro Carvalho in the main event of Bellator 241 on March 13, and Freire admits he contemplated withdrawing from the card even if that cost his spot in the grand prix.

Freire calls Miguel a “gift from God,” but revealed that his wife dealt with health-related issues over the past week.

“(Teresa) got a bit shaken up, like every mother gets, and I even asked her if she wanted me to pull out of the fight,” Freire told MMA Fighting. “She was every upset yesterday, but everything is alright now.

“I won’t lie to you, I considered [pulling out of the fight]. I called the entire team yesterday, got them all in the office and said, ‘Look, there’s a possibility I’ll get off the fight.’ I talked to her many times about it and she said no, she didn’t want me to (pull out), she said (fighting) would be best for me, but I realized she was shaken up and me leaving [home] would make it worse. I didn’t want to leave my wife here with two kids and go to a fight.

“There are moments in life in which you have to choose between your career… Even though it wouldn’t affect my future in Bellator, I would probably have to leave the GP — I don’t know if the GP would make sense without me, but in my head that would end up happening —, postpone the fight, get it a new date, but thank God it’s better now. Everything is fine now. But I did consider it, yes. I did consider it.

“(Thursday) was very decisive for me,” he continued. “I got the whole team with me and said, ‘There’s a 50 percent chance I’ll pull out of the fight. There’s nothing wrong with me, I’m light, 155 pounds, I’m well-trained and injury-free, we have the strategy set and I’m on fire, but my wife is the person that supported me the most throughout my entire life. She’s always very supportive, but it’s getting rough now.’ She was very upset and shaken up.”

Teresa’s mother, sister and sister-in-law went to Freire’s house to support her as the fighter had his final sparring session on Thursday before facing Carvalho in Uncasville.

The fight will go on as scheduled, and Freire promises he’s “fighting for them,” meaning Teresa and his two sons.

“Even though I’m a focused person and know how to separate things, you feel your wife needs you, and I’m out here,” Freire said. “I have to stay excited to beat up this guy that keeps talking trash, you know? I really have to have a cool head, but it carries a weight.”

Freire battles Carvalho for a spot in the 145-pound tournament grand prix on Friday, and vows to get the job done with a knockout.