Sergio Pettis details how Kyoji Horiguchi rematch materialized, hints at another potential PFL-RIZIN collaboration: "A new belt would be awesome"
Sergio Pettis recently detailed how his upcoming rematch against Kyoji Horiguchi materialized and hinted that there could be another collaboration between the PFL and RIZIN in the future. Despite the acquisition of Bellator, it appears as though the Japanese-based promotion is still interested in cross-promotion.
Their first encounter took place at Bellator 272 in 2021, where, 'The Typhoon' challenged 'The Phenom', who was the reigning bantamweight champion. Horiguchi was in control for the majority of the fight, however, Pettis caught him with a spinning back-fist in the fourth round to earn a highlight-reel knockout and successfully retained his title.
While speaking with The Game Plan, the 30-year-old brought up that there was an opportunity to compete in the PFL-Bellator, but he would have to wait until later in the year, so he accepted the rematch at RIZIN 47 instead. Pettis mentioned that he is keeping the door open for a future flyweight bout and could be interested in pursuing a trilogy should he defeat Horiguchi again. He said:
"There was an opportunity that was given to me [by PFL] but it was a little bit later down the road...I'm not trying to wait out until September-October to fight. It would have been a whole year off...If they [RIZIN] give me the correct time frame, I believe I will make that weight again and yeah, I'm always interested. A new belt would be awesome, especially for the Pettis legacy." [40:31 - 41:17]
Check out the full interview with Sergio Pettis below:
Sergio Pettis expresses excitement for competing under RIZIN rules
Sergio Pettis recently expressed his excitement for competing under RIZIN rules for the first time in his MMA career.
The rules are similar to Pride FC in that strikes such as soccer kicks, which are prohibited under the PFL-Bellator rules, are legal in the Japanese-based promotion. During the aforementioned interview, Pettis mentioned that he is excited to showcase more of his arsenal when he takes on Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event of RIZIN 47. He said:
"I think this is gonna open up a new game for me. You know, I've never got a chance to compete under the RIZIN rules, so using soccer kicks, stomps. As soon as I heard that my heart started pounding. I'm like, 'Oh, this is something different, something serious'. This is like a street fight, but a mixed martial arts street fight." [35:42 - 35:57]
![RIZIN 47 poster for Horiguchi vs. Pettis 2 [Image courtesy: @kyoji1012 - X]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/06/7ac0e-17176065785653-1920.jpg?w=500)