Bellator
MMA
bantamweight champion
Sergio
Pettis is finally coming into his own as a mixed martial arts
star and out of the shadow of his elder brother
Anthony
Pettis.
Despite making his professional debut back in 2011, Sergio for the
longest time felt he was known solely as the younger brother of
former
World Extreme Cagefighting and
Ultimate Fighting Championship king Anthony. It was
back-to-back losses against
Rob Font and
Jussier
Formiga in his UFC days that changed things for “The
Phenom.”
After exiting the UFC with a win over
Tyson Nam,
Pettis went on to rack up five consecutive wins under the Bellator
banner, which includes three title fights. Pettis returned to
action in June after an 18-month layoff due to an ACL surgery and
successfully defended his throne against featherweight champ
Patricio
“Pitbull” Freire.
Pettis is now scheduled to defend his throne at
Bellator 301 on Nov. 17 against
Patrick Mix
(18-1), who won the Bellator bantamweight grand prix while the
champ was forced out of action due to injury.
Going into the clash, “The Phenom” feels he’s finally found his
stride as a mixed martial artist and hopes to serve as an example
for anyone who’s a “late bloomer.”
The Milwaukee native acknowledged that he wasn’t a very confident
individual growing up and also had the burden of being the younger
brother of a two-promotion world champion.
“I just want to be an example for everyone who is a late bloomer. I
feel like I am a late bloomer, and it took me time to really
develop my game, my skill and my confidence,” Pettis declared at
the Bellator 301 pre-fight press conference. “Growing up I was not
a confident individual and had a lot of anxiety. With that, I was
also under my brother’s shadow but in those dark times I was able
to learn who I am.”
One person who’s benefitted from Pettis’ progress is his elder
brother, who cashed in $122,500 on the Bellator champ’s successful
defense against Pitbull.