UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It was a long-awaited night for Bellator MMA’s “Pitbull” brothers, but as Patricky Freire watched his little brother close out a title-winning performance, he said the commission threatened to remove him from the event.

Bellator 123 took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. In the Spike TV-televised headliner, Patricio Freire (22-2 MMA, 10-2 BMMA) earned a five-round decision win over Pat Curran (20-6 MMA, 10-3 BMMA) to win the featherweight title.

However, as Patricky Freire, a licensed cornerman (“second”) for his fight, shouted instructions to his brother, he said an official from the Mohegan Tribe Department of Athletic Regulation threatened to remove him from the event.

“Around the third or fourth round, the athletic commission threatened to expel me because I was yelling out a lot, and that it might sway the judges,” he told MMAjunkie after the event.

Although cornermen are permitted to give instructions during a bout, he said he was obviously confused by the mandate, especially since he was speaking Portuguese and the cageside officials were all American.

“They said it could influence the judges into rendering the wrong decision,” he said. “This is the first time I’ve seen this in America.”

Commission officials weren’t immediately available for clarification.

Regardless, despite the cageside confusion, it turned out to be a joyous night for the Brazilians (via Twitter and Instagram):

And newwwww champion on The world patricio " Pitbull " freire ! @ Mohegan Sun Arena http://t.co/jzQrNdppeB — Patricky Freire (@PatrickyPitbull) September 6, 2014

The younger Freire, who avenged an early-2013 narrow title loss to Curran, has combined with his brother for 22 career Bellator fights. But after six tournaments berths and a few close calls, a “Pitbull” is finally a champion.

“There were difficult times where I was very broken and exhausted during (fight camps), but there was never a time I was going to give up,” the new champ said.

For more on Bellator 123, including a full event recap and video highlights, check out the MMA Events section of the site.