Champions rarely get the benefit of tune-up fights and that is painfully true for Sergio Pettis. The reigning Bellator bantamweight champion returns from an 18-month lay-off to defend his title against the rabid Patricio Pitbull, arguably the greatest fighter Bellator has produced. The champ vs. champ super fight occupies the co-main event of Bellator 297 at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago on Friday.
Pettis dropped out of the Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix after sustaining an injury that required surgery. The Bellator landscape has changed quite a bit since Pettis' last fight, a come-from-behind spinning-back fist knockout of Kyoji Horiguchi dubbed CBS Sports' Bellator KO of the Year in 2021. Reigning Bellator featherweight champion Pitbull is in pursuit of an unheralded third divisional championship. Meanwhile, Patchy Mix is waiting in the wings as interim bantamweight title.
"I feel like I belong in the deep end. So coming back and taking this fight, I had no problem," Pettis told CBS Sports. "This is a big test for both of us. For him to create his three-time legacy, which has never been done before, and for me to become a three-time world champion.
"I'm ready for this big fight. So there's really no hesitation."
Check out the full interview with Sergio Pettis below.
Friday marks the first time that Pitbull makes the cut to bantamweight. Changing weight classes is an exercise in risk-reward management. Moving up generally gives fighters a speed advantage in exchange for giving up size. Moving down usually means you're fighting smaller foes, but it can take a serious toll on your body.
Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw was knocked out in short order when dropping to flyweight to challenge Pitbull's teammate Henry Cejudo in 2019. The physical drain is something Pettis faced when fighting at flyweight. Pettis trusts Pitbull's ability to cut weight methodically, but the defending champ is aware that his opponent could be compromised.
"If he didn't prep the right way, I think it for sure could affect a lot," Pettis said. "He's getting older. 35 years old now, I think. As you get older, it gets harder to lose weight. I feel it as well. When I was fighting at flyweight, I was feeling more fragile and not believing in my body as much."
Pettis has a mountain to climb in Chicago. His Hail Mary win against Horiguchi was inspiring, but it doesn't inspire great confidence against Pitbull. After all, Pitbull was a simultaneous two-division champion who willingly vacated the lightweight title so that his brother, Patricky Pitbull, could fight for it. Pitbull is the measuring stick in Bellator. Pettis knows he needs to pitch a perfect game to measure up.
"It's just a matter of whose night it is," Pettis said. "If he's on and I'm off, it's going to be a s---- night for me."
