Sergio Pettis admits he doesn’t fully think he is the real Bellator bantamweight champion.
Pettis won the belt earlier this year with a decision victory over Juan Archuleta who won the vacant belt due to Kyoji Horiguchi vacating the belt due to a knee injury. Now that Horiguchi is healthy again, Pettis will be taking on the former champ in the main event of Bellator 272 on December 3 which Pettis says will determine who the real champion is.
“In my head that’s how I view it,” he told MMA Junkie. “He was the champion and he hurt his knee unfortunately and had to vacate the belt and Juan won it by beating Patchy Mix, and I beat Juan. But at the end of the day that’s Horiguchi’s belt. I’m kind of just babysitting it. This fight will really signify who the real champion is of this division.”
Although Pettis doesn’t think of himself as the real champion, he does have the belt around his waist. However, he knows his upcoming fight against Horiguchi will be the toughest of his career. Horiguchi is well-rounded with knockout power and solid submission skills. Yet, Sergio Pettis believes this is the fight that he proves just how good he is.
Pettis will be taking on the former champ in the main event of Bellator 272 on December 3
“He’s not just a stand-up fighter,” Pettis said. “He can submit you, he can take you down. He knows how to play the game really well. It’s hard to deny that. I’m excited to test my skills, test my style. I’m at a good point in my life where this is going to be my breakout fight, honestly. … I still haven’t had that perfect performance yet where I’m like, ‘Yo, this is it. This is who I am. This is who I’m going to be.’ So I’m taking it fight-by-fight and I feel like this is going to be the one.”
