Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis set to face off against Rizin 135lb champ Kyoji Horiguchi in December
A Bellator bantamweight world championship bout between current titleholder Sergio Pettis and former champ Kyoji Horiguchi is set for December 3, according to combat sports analysts Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell.
Both stars are former UFC 135lbers. Pettis won the Bellator belt in May this year by defeating Juan Archuleta, while Horiguchi is currently the Rizin bantamweight titleholder.
Speaking on the Morning Kombat podcast, Thomas told Campbell that he was excited to see the matchup happening and even called it a UFC-level booking.
"This is one of the best fights that Bellator can make. I love everything about this fight. What's interesting is, Horiguchi is not ranked because he just left another promotion in Japan and came here... Even if he didn't have a number here, he is entirely deserving of this. His body of achievement is incredible. His recent run has been good. Obviously, he's fought inside the Bellator cage and won at a high level already. I love what Sergio Pettis has become. But Kyoji Horiguchi is a world beater. This is on par with anything UFC could do. Fantastic fight."
Watch Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell discuss the matchup below:
‼️BREAKING‼️
@BellatorMMA bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis will defend his title against Kyoji Horiguchi on 12/3 on @Showtime.
First reported by @lthomasnews & @BCampbell: youtu.be/GSLrjtaHNeo https://t.co/i09mBqy9LZ
Kyoji Horiguchi is a former Bellator bantamweight champion. He won the belt after beating Darrion Caldwell in June 2019. However, he vacated the title due to a serious knee injury.
'The Typhoon' is 29-3 in his MMA career so far. He notably once unsuccessfully challenged Demetrious 'Mighty Mouse' Johnson for the UFC flyweight championship.
Sergio Pettis is the younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis
Sergio Pettis holds a 21-5 record. 'S.P.' is the brother of former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. The duo have fought on the same UFC pay-per-view multiple times. Anthony is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
'Showtime' is 24-12 in his career and won the lightweight belt from Benson Henderson at UFC 164 way back in August 2013. He made one successful title defense against Gilbert Melendez before dropping the title to Rafael dos Anjos.
Anthony, adversário de Ferguson, treina com o irmão, Sergio Pettis, que encara Jussier Formiga no sábado. #feedMMA https://t.co/BtCjFFZ4A2
Sergio Pettis has competed in the flyweight division as well. Anthony, on the other hand, has fought in both the featherweight and welterweight weight classes.