Sergio Jerome Pettis (born August 18, 1993) is an American

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

who is currently signed with

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) was an American mixed martial arts promotion (entertainment), promotion founded in 2008 by Bjorn Rebney and operated until 2025. The promotion takes its name from ''wikt:bellator, bellātor ...

, where he is the former Bellator Bantamweight Champion. Prior to signing with Bellator, Pettis competed in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter (entertainment), promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor ( ...

(UFC), where he fought in both the Bantamweight and

Flyweight Flyweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Flyweight is a class in boxing which includes fighters weighing up to and including 51 kg (112 lb) for a title fight. Professional boxing The flyweight division was the last of boxin ...

divisions.

Background

Pettis was born to Annette (née Garcia) and Eugene Pettis Jr. in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Along with his older brother former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis, who competes in the lightweight division, and oldest brother Reynaldo Pettis, he grew up in the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Pettis' mother is of Mexican descent and his father is of Puerto Rican descent. To escape prejudice, his grandpa Eugenio Pérez anglicised the family name from Pérez to Pettis. Pettis was a student at Pius XI High School. Pettis' father was fatally stabbed by a robber on November 12, 2003, at a friend's residence.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Pettis turned pro on September 10, 2011, against Kyle Vivian at Canadian Fighting Championship 7. He won via TKO in the first round. On January 7, 2012, Sergio took on Mike Lindquist at Madtown Throwdown 26. He won via submission in round one. Pettis fought Tom McKenna at LFC 53. He won via first round submission. Pettis then took on Tony Zelinski at NAFC: Unleashed. He won via second-round TKO. Pettis took on Chris Haney at NAFC: Colosseum. He won via unanimous decision. In his next fight, Pettis defeated Jimmy Jones via unanimous decision at RFA 4-Griffin vs Escudero. Pettis was originally set to face Matt Manzanares at Resurrection Fighting Alliance 7, but Manzanares was forced out of the bout due to injury. RFA could not find another opponent for Sergio, therefore the bout was scrapped. Pettis is now set to face Josh Robinson at NAFC: Battleground. Pettis improved his record to an unblemished 7–0 with the unanimous decision victory. Resurrection Fighting Alliance announced that Pettis will take on

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

vet Jeff Curran for the inaugural RFA Flyweight Championship at RFA 8 on June 21, 2013, inside the historic The Rave/Eagles Club Milwaukee, Wisc. Curran was forced out of the bout for personal reasons, RFA President

Ed Soares Ed Soares is an American of Brazilian descent born in Redondo Beach, California, Redondo Beach, California to Brazilian parents. He is known for being the manager of a number of Brazilian Mixed martial arts fighters, including Anderson Silva, Ant� ...

reported that Dillard Pegg will take his place and fight Pettis for the flyweight title. He won via KO in the first round to win the RFA flyweight title. Pettis faced James Porter for the NAFC Bantamweight Championship, at NAFC: Battle in the Ballroom on September 28, 2013. Pettis won via first round submission and was subsequently signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Pettis was expected to make his promotional debut against Vaughan Lee in a bantamweight bout on November 16, 2013, at UFC 167. A week before the fight Lee was forced out of the bout due to injury and was replaced by

Will Campuzano William Campuzano (born May 27, 1986) is a Mexican professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2008, Campuzano has also formerly competed for the UFC, WEC, Vale Tudo Japan ...

. Pettis won the fight via unanimous decision. In his second UFC bout, Pettis faced Alex Caceres at UFC on Fox 10 on January 25, 2014. He lost the back-and-forth fight via rear-naked choke submission late in the third round. Despite the loss, Pettis won a ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award for the bout. Pettis faced Yaotzin Meza on June 7, 2014, at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Pettis faced Matt Hobar on December 6, 2014, at

UFC 181 ''UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II'' was a mixed martial arts event held on December 6, 2014, at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas, Nevada. Background UFC 181 was the organization's 300th event and was expected to be headl ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. The bout also earned Pettis his second ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Pettis faced Ryan Benoit in a flyweight bout on March 14, 2015, at UFC 185. After winning the first round, Pettis was dropped by left hook and finished off with a flurry of ground and pound from Benoit in the second round. Pettis faced

Chris Cariaso Chris Vincent Cariaso (born May 27, 1981) is a retired Filipino-American mixed martial artist who competed as a Flyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Personal Cariaso is of Filipino descent. Mixed martial arts career Since turning p ...

on October 3, 2015, at UFC 192. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Pettis faced Chris Kelades on April 23, 2016, at UFC 197. Pettis won the fight by unanimous decision. Sergio was dominating most of the exchanges and defending takedowns by attacking the neck. He stunned Moraga many times and arguably won all 3 rounds. Pettis called out Jussier Formiga in his post fight interview. Pettis was expected to face

Louis Smolka Louis Smolka (born July 16, 1991) is an American mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight (MMA), bantamweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has previously fought for the Ultimate Fighting Champ ...

on October 1, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 96. However, Pettis pulled out of the fight during the week leading up to the event citing what his trainer described as "a minor injury" and was replaced by promotional newcomer Brandon Moreno. Pettis was expected to face Jussier Formiga on January 15, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 103. However, Formiga pulled out of the fight in late December and was replaced by

John Moraga John Anthony Moraga (born March 20, 1984) is an American professional boxer and mixed martial artist who competes as a flyweight and featherweight in MMA and boxing, respectively. He is best known for his lengthy career in the Ultimate Fighting ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Pettis was expected to face

Henry Cejudo Henry Carlos Cejudo (born February 9, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former freestyle wrestler. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former UFC ...

on May 13, 2017, at UFC 211. However, on May 10, Cejudo pulled out of the fight with a hand injury and the bout was canceled. Pettis faced Brandon Moreno on August 5, 2017, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 114. He won the bout via unanimous decision. A rescheduled fight with Cejudo took place on December 2, 2017, at UFC 218. Pettis lost the fight by unanimous decision. Pettis faced Joseph Benavidez on June 9, 2018, at UFC 225. He won the back-and-forth fight via split decision. Pettis faced Jussier Formiga on October 6, 2018, at

UFC 229 ''UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor ''was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) that was held on October 6, 2018, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United Stat ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision After the fight, Pettis' head coach Duke Roufus announced that Sergio is returning to the bantamweight division. Pettis faced Rob Font in a bantamweight bout, on December 15, 2018, at UFC on Fox 31. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Pettis was expected to face Ricardo Ramos on June 29, 2019, at UFC on ESPN 3. However, on June 15, 2019, it was reported that Pettis pulled out of the bout due to injury. Pettis was scheduled to face Alex Perez on September 21, 2019, at UFC on ESPN+ 17. However, Perez pulled out of the bout on August 26 citing an injury, and he was replaced by Tyson Nam. Pettis won the fight by unanimous decision. Pettis was scheduled to face Kai Kara-France on December 14, 2019, at UFC 245. Later, news surfaced that Pettis fought out his contract with his previous fight with Nam, and is testing free agency.

Bellator MMA

On October 24, 2019, it was announced that Pettis signed a multi-fight deal with

. Pettis made his promotional debut at Bellator 238 on January 25, 2020, against Alfred Khashakyan. He was victorious via first round technical submission. Pettis faced Ricky Bandejas on July 24 at Bellator 242. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Bellator Bantamweight Championship

Pettis faced Juan Archuleta for the Bellator Bantamweight World Championship at Bellator 258 on May 7, 2021. Pettis won the bout and the title by unanimous decision. Pettis made his first title defense against former Bellator Bantamweight Champion Kyoji Horiguchi on December 3, 2021, at

Bellator 272 Bellator 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on December 3, 2021 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. Background Sergio Pettis made his first defence of the List of ...

. After losing the first three rounds, Pettis came back to win the fight via knockout in round four. For his second title defense and also the first round bout of the $1 million Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix Tournament, Pettis was scheduled to face Raufeon Stots on April 23, 2022, at Bellator 279. However Pettis was forced to pull out of the bout and the Grand Prix after sustaining an injury that required surgery. Pettis defended the Bellator Bantamweight World Championship against the reigning Bellator Featherweight World Champion

Patrício Pitbull Patrício Andre de Sousa Freire (born July 7, 1987), known professionally as Patrício Pitbull, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial arts, mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Champi ...

on June 16, 2023, at Bellator 297. He won the bout via unanimous decision. Pettis faced interim champion Patchy Mix in a title unification bout on November 17, 2023 at

Bellator 301 ''Bellator 301: Amosov vs. Jackson'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on November 17, 2023, at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The event marked the final event to air on Showtime, an ...

. He lost the bout and the belt, being submitted in the second round via rear-naked choke.

Rizin Fighting Federation

Pettis made his MMA debut in Japan on June 9, 2024 as he faced Kyoji Horiguchi in a rematch at RIZIN 47. Pettis lost the bout via unanimous decision.

Personal life

Sergio is the younger brother of

Anthony Anthony, also spelled Antony, is a masculine given name derived from the '' Antonii'', a '' gens'' ( Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were Heracleidae, being descenda ...

and Rey Pettis. Sergio graduated from Pius XI Catholic High School located in Milwaukee, WI in June 2011. On November 23, 2003, their father, Eugene Pettis, Jr. was stabbed to death by a robber at a friend's house.

Championships and achievements

Mixed martial arts

Bellator Bantamweight World Championship (One time, Former) ***Two successful title defenses *

** Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Alex Caceres & Matt Hobar **UFC.com Awards ***2018: Ranked #5 Upset of the Year * Resurrection Fighting Alliance **RFA Flyweight Championship (One time, First) *North American Fighting Championship **NAFC Bantamweight Championship (One time) *Cageside Press **Comeback of the Year 2021 (tied w/ Charles Oliveira) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi *

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

**2021 Finish of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi *

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the American sports programming division of Paramount Global that is responsible for sports broadcasts carried by its broadcast network CBS and streaming service Paramount+, as well as the operator of its cable channel CBS Sports N ...

**2021 Bellator Knockout of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi **2021 Bellator Fighter of the Year (tied with A.J. McKee) * MMAjunkie.com **2021 December Knockout of the Month vs. Kyoji Horiguchi **2021 Knockout of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi **2021 Comeback of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2021 Knockout of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi *LowKick MMA **2021 Comeback of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi *MMASucka **2021 Knockout of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi **2021 Comeback of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi *Combat Press **2021 Comeback of the Year vs. Kyoji Horiguchi

Mixed martial arts record

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Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

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Professional boxing record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Pettis, Sergio 1993 births American male mixed martial artists American male taekwondo practitioners Martial artists from Milwaukee Mixed martial artists from Wisconsin American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu People awarded a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu American sportspeople of Puerto Rican descent American mixed martial artists of Mexican descent Flyweight mixed martial artists Bantamweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing taekwondo Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Living people Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters 21st-century American sportsmen