Patricio Pitbull not looking past Sergio Pettis, but eyes 4-division Bellator champ status with new flyweight class
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The only thing that would make Patricio Pitbull happier than making history in his next fight is chasing even more history.
Pitbull, the current Bellator featherweight champion, moves down to 135 pounds to challenge Sergio Pettis for the bantamweight title in the co-main event of Bellator 297, which takes place June 16 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. If successful, Pitbull will become the first Bellator fighter ever to hold titles in three different divisions.
Pettis makes his return to action for the first time since his incredible spinning backfist knockout of Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 297 in December 2021. While the 35-year-old Pitbull is confident he'll "smother" Pettis and win another title, he is not looking past his opponent.
"He's patient, and he's very good at what he does," Pitbull told MMA Fighting. "We see what he's done in Bellator, his last fight against Kyoji Horiguchi. Kyoji is the best flyweight in the world today, there's no doubt about that. There's no one at flyweight as good as him, and he fought for the [bantamweight] title. He was winning the fight, and Sergio, in the fourth round, went in there and knocked him out with a spin punch out of nowhere. So there are a few things that you see from that.
"You see that he's a winner. He doesn't shy away from the fight. He wasn't broken there. He still found a way to win. His power was still there. Many fighters, when the fight goes on their power starts to go, but that didn't happen with him. So we need to focus on the goal ahead. I know he's going to be a huge task. He's not to be taken lightly, and we're just going in and doing everything we trained for."
Should he accomplish something no other fighter has done in Bellator, Pitbull won't rest on his laurels. In fact, the 40-fight pro believes he has a lot left in the tank and is hopeful such a historic win will lead to bigger fights and bigger paydays.
With Bellator announcing a new flyweight division, Pitbull sees a path toward becoming the first fighter to hold world championships in four different divisions.
"It's just the beginning for me, I [won't be] satisfied – I want more," Pitbull said. "I can be a champion of other organizations, or perhaps go after a fourth division title. I'll be honest with you, that hadn't crossed my mind until they made the flyweight title of Bellator, and right now, I'm waiting for the same thing as the flyweights as my gym are waiting for, and I'm eating more than them, and I'm strong. I'm trimmed, I have a lot of energy left, and I work with the best physiologist there is.
"My weight cuts have been perfect. I'm always staying below the featherweight limits without even having to use the bathtub, and we predict that this is gonna be an easy, very good weight cut to 135, as well. So, why not? The belt is right there for the taking, so we could do it. But right now, the focus is on the task ahead of me. Sergio is dangerous, and I'm not looking past him at all. I have a great challenge to conquer right now, but if I get through that, after I'm done, why not go for [the 125-pound title]?"
Patricio Pitbull not looking past Sergio Pettis, but eyes 4-division Bellator champ status with new flyweight class originally appeared on NBC Sports
