Sergio Pettis Eying 'Champ-Champ' Status In Bellator After New Flyweight Division Announced
Bellator Bantamweight Champion Sergio Pettis is open to returning to flyweight after the promotion’s announcement.
Pettis will face Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire in the Bellator 297 main event on June 16th. In a super fight against the pound-for-pound best in the promotion, he returns to defend the bantamweight title.
Pettis suffered a severe injury getting ready for the Bantamweight Grand Prix and was forced to withdraw. It’s been almost two years since his last MMA fight; when he defeated Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272.
Despite his long hiatus, Pettis isn’t lacking any confidence ahead of his fight with Freire. In Sept. 2019, he won his last UFC fight with a unanimous decision victory over Tyson Nam at flyweight.
Pettis wants the chance to add his name to the history books as the Bellator flyweight division gets ready to launch.
Sergio Pettis Hints At Potential Return To Flyweight
Bellator
During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, Pettis reacted to Bellator’s divisional addition.
“Definitely something I’m interested in,” Pettis said. “Obviously to have that champ-champ status, but man, that cut to 125 is not fun for anybody. The older I’m getting, I’m like, ‘Man, I don’t know if I really see myself going back down.’ If it made sense and the opportunity presented itself, the competitor in me and the ego in me would be like definitely could make it. But how I feel at 135 is a lot different than how I feel at 125.”
Before parting ways with the UFC, Pettis earned wins over the likes of current UFC Flyweight Champion Brandon Moreno and former title challenger Joseph Benavidez. He has thrived since making the full-time move to bantamweight in Bellator, earning four consecutive wins over the likes of Juan Archuleta and Horiguchi.
The Bellator flyweight division is expected to kick off later this year, featuring contenders like Horiguchi.
First thing’s first for Pettis, as he looks to defend the bantamweight title and stop Freire’s attempt at making his own history. Freire is attempting to become a three-division champion, the first of its kind in Bellator.
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All quotes from MMA Junkie
