5 Takeaways from Bellator 272
Bellator MMA wrapped up their 2021 event schedule this past Friday, when they hosted Bellator 272 at the Mohegan Sun Arena. It was a great night of fights that saw its fair share of upsets and entertaining action. There were also some announcements made on the broadcast that’ll excite fans in 2022.
The main event was champion vs champion as Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis took on RIZIN bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi. This was significant as Horiguchi was looking to become a two-promotion champion for the second time in his career.
In 2019, Horiguchi was forced to vacate both the Bellator and RIZIN bantamweight championships due to injury. He reclaimed the RIZIN bantamweight championship in 2020 and was looking to do the same in Bellator.
The promotion was able to close out the year with a big main event and promote other marque bouts. They took full advantage of the added attention garnered from the main event to build anticipation for their 2022 schedule.
5. No longer an asterisk on Bellator bantamweight championship
Sergio Pettis with a spinning backfist out of nowhere to put Kyoji Horiguchi to sleep! One of the OMG moments of the year! 💥 #Bellator272 https://t.co/8ORV5VfsxM
Since an injury forced Kyoji Horiguchi to relinquish the title, there seemed to be an asterisk on whoever won the title. After Sergio Pettis defeated Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258 to become the new champion, there was instant talk of him fighting Horiguchi.
That’s exactly what happened.
Bellator signed current RIZIN bantamweight champion Horiguchi and gave him an opportunity to reclaim the Bellator bantamweight championship. It looked like Horiguchi was closing in on another title victory. He was effective with his takedowns and landed more strikes throughout the first three rounds.
Prior to his KO of Kyoji Horiguchi at #Bellator272, @SergioPettis was down 30-27 on all three of the judges' scorecards. https://t.co/gqPPzXqu9N
Pettis rallied back towards the end of the fourth round and knocked out Horiguchi with a spectacular spinning backfist. It was a significant win for Pettis as it silenced all the doubters and legitimized his title reign.
“When it happened, I was like. ‘Man, I am losing this fight. I’ve got to do something spectacular.’ It [spinning back-fist] came at the right time.” – Sergio Pettis post-fight at Bellator 272