Are Sergio Pettis and Anthony Pettis related?
Sergio Pettis is the younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. Akin to his older brother, Sergio is a professional MMA fighter and trains at the Roufusport MMA Academy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Sergio Pettis kicked off his pro-MMA fighting career in September 2011. The Milwaukee-born fighter amassed an 8-0 record before landing a deal with the UFC in 2013. Sergio's UFC career, which spanned 14 fights, came to an end after the 27-year-old's unanimous decision victory over Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN+ 17.
Akin to his brother Anthony Pettis, Sergio decided to explore free-agency options after parting from the UFC. In October 2019, the BJJ black belt inked a multi-fight deal with Bellator MMA. Claiming a first-round submission victory in his BMMA debut, Sergio extended his record to 18-5.
At Bellator 242, Sergio Pettis made his second promotional outing. The former NAFC bantamweight champion fought Ricky Bandejas in the main event. Pettis cruised to a lopsided victory courtesy of his poised game plan. The dominant victory paved the way for Pettis' title shot against the winner of Juan Archuleta vs. Patchy Mix.
Sergio Pettis picks up the baton at Bellator 258:
Sergio Pettis' title aspirations had come to a halt due to the advent of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdown restrictions. At Bellator 258, the promotion at long last put the bantamweight championship up for grabs between Pettis and Juan Archuleta. Pettis dominated throughout the title bout and convincingly secured a unanimous decision win against Archuleta.
From entering the UFC cage at 20 to securing his first major MMA title at Bellator, Sergio Pettis has certainly had an arduous journey to reach the top. The Wisconsin native talked about how his win tonight was an amalgamation of years of hard work:
"It just showed tonight, everything. I think the weight got lifted off my shoulders once I got more mature... I just feel like things are ok. To be in this moment, it feels amazing... it feels great. Everytime I'm getting better and better." said Pettis after the fight.
Anthony Pettis, who is currently signed by the PFL (Professional Fighters League), reacted to Sergio's win tonight via Twitter. Anthony wrote:
"Highest of highs!!! So proud"