Rivalries: Sergio Pettis

Sergio Pettis spent years trying to escape his brother’s shadow. Mission accomplished.

The 29-year-old Milwaukee native has emerged as one of the sport’s premier bantamweights, having excelled in both the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bellator MMA. Pettis now sports a 22-5 record and finds himself on a five-fight winning streak, his longest such tear since he started his career with 10 consecutive victories. The reigning Bellator bantamweight champion has not tasted defeat in nearly four years.

As Pettis awaits word on his next assignment—a scheduled title defense opposite Roufusport teammate Raufeon Stots was scuttled in April—from Bellator matchmakers, a look at a few of the rivalries that have helped chart his course to this point:

Alex Caceres

“The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 quarterfinalist submitted the previously unbeaten Pettis with a rear-naked choke in the third round of their featured UFC on Fox 10 prelim on Jan. 25, 2014 at the United Center in Chicago. Referee Herb Dean called for the stoppage at Pettis’ request 4:39 into Round 3. Caceres appeared to be outgunned and a step slow through the first five minutes, as “The Phenom” peppered him with an array of punches and kicks. However, everything changed in the second round, where Caceres floored the 20-year-old Milwaukee native with a searing straight left. Pettis seemed out of sorts from that point forward. In the third round, the prized Roufusport prospect failed on a takedown attempt and wound up in bottom position. Pettis then fished for a heel hook, only to leave himself exposed. Caceres transitioned to his back, cinched the choke and landed the submission with a little more than 20 seconds remaining in the match.

Brandon Moreno

Pettis showed his quality as one of the sport’s budding young stars when he ventured into enemy territory and took a unanimous decision from “The Assassin Baby” in the UFC Fight Night 114 headliner on Aug. 5, 2017 in Mexico City. Scores were 49-46, 48-46 and 48-46. Moreno made it difficult on the Duke Roufus protégé before a crowd of 10,172 at Mexico City Arena. He executed a takedown inside the first minute of the first round, scrambled to the back and threaded his hooks before securing position with a body triangle and pursuing the rear-naked choke. Pettis spent more than four minutes with the Entram Gym standout attached to his back. Nevertheless, he survived. Pettis stayed upright over the next three rounds and carved up Moreno with a stiff jab, chopping right hands and a variety of kicks, one of which opened a cut near the right eye in the middle stanza. Pettis was in control at the start of Round 5 but yielded a takedown and again wandered into danger. However, he kept his composure and stayed active from the bottom, feeding Moreno a pair of upkicks at one point. Pettis eventually escaped to his feet and closed the round by showcasing his superiority in the standup. The loss snapped an 11-fight winning streak for Moreno.

Henry Cejudo

Well-timed takedowns and stifling top control carried 2008 Olympic gold medalist to a unanimous decision over Pettis in their UFC 218 flyweight showcase on Dec. 2, 2017 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. All three members of the cageside judiciary scored it the same: 30-27 for Cejudo. Pettis was frozen by the threat of the takedown. Cejudo held his own in the standup exchanges, then closed the distance and dragged the former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion to the mat. Pettis was powerless on the bottom, as he found himself pinned beneath the crushing top game of a world-class wrestler. By the time it was over, Cejudo had outlanded “The Phenom” by a 85-38 margin and accrued more than nine minutes of control time.

Juan Archuleta

Crisp jabs and clean counters spurred Pettis to a career-altering unanimous decision over “The Spaniard,” as he captured the undisputed Bellator MMA bantamweight championship in the Bellator 258 main event on May 7, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. All three cageside judges scored it for Pettis: 50-45, 49-46 and 49-46. Archuleta spent much of the fight playing into the challenger’s strengths. Pettis used the Californian’s aggression against him, snapping back his head with stinging jabs and sharp counterpunches from both hands. Even when Archuleta turned to takedowns, he failed to consolidate them with positional control or ground-and-pound, slowly but surely losing his grip on the 135-pound throne.

Kyoji Horiguchi

Pettis retained the undisputed Bellator MMA bantamweight crown when he knocked out the Japanese superstar with a spinning backfist in the fourth round of their Bellator 272 headliner on Dec. 3, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The shocking conclusion came 3:24 into Round 4. Horiguchi had command of all of his pitches and kept the Milwaukee native off-balance with darting lateral movements. He battered Pettis’ lead leg with kicks, punctuated his combinations with powerful overhand rights, mixed in a handful of spinning back kicks to the body and incorporated strategic takedowns in the first, second and third rounds. None of it mattered. A little more than midway through Round 4, Pettis pushed the American Top Team rep toward the fence and uncorked a head kick at close range. Horiguchi ducked out of danger, only to be blindsided by the spinning backfist that followed. The impact turned out his lights and sent him crashing to the canvas, the unwitting victim in one of the most spectacular finishes of 2021.