Sergio Pettis has his first Bellator bantamweight title defense set.
Pettis will face former Bellator and RIZIN bantamweight champion, Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 on December 3. Bellator announced the fight on the Morning Kombat show. The event will take place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with the event airing on Showtime.
Sergio Pettis (21-5) is coming off a decision win over Juan Archuleta back in May at Bellator 258 to win the bantamweight title. He is currently 3-0 in Bellator as he beat Alfred Khashakyan by submission in his debut and followed that up with a decision victory over Ricky Bandejas in the main event of the first Bellator card back from COVID-19.
The 28-year-old signed with Bellator in 2019 after fighting out his UFC contract. He ended his UFC tenure with a win over Tyson Nam and went 9-5 inside the Octagon. Pettis picked up notable wins over Joseph Benavidez, Brandon Moreno, and John Moraga while losing to the likes of Henry Cejudo, Rob Font, and Alex Caceres.
Kyoji Horiguchi (29-3) has not fought since New Year’s Eve of 2020 as he knocked out Kai Asakura to reclaim the RIZIN bantamweight belt after his shocking KO loss to Asakura in August of 2019. The former UFC title challenger also won the Bellator bantamweight title with a decision win over Darrion Caldwell but was forced out to vacate both titles due to him tearing his knee. He then was a free agent and recently signed with Bellator.
After Horiguchi signed with Bellator, this was the fight to make as he never lost the title. He is also a big name in the sport, and on paper, this should be an excellent fight with Pettis. The winner will also have options as Raufeon Stots or the winner of James Gallagher-Patrick Mix will be next in line.
Who do you think will win at Bellator 272, Sergio Pettis or Kyoji Horiguchi?
