Sergio Pettis close to signing with Bellator after long UFC stint

Sergio Pettis may not be a free agent for much longer.

The 14-time UFC competitor, who has fought at both flyweight and bantamweight, is close to calling Bellator home. The Wisconsin native intends to sign a multi-fight deal with the promotion in the near future.

The deal is not officially signed yet, but the two parties are close, a person with knowledge of the situation told MMA Junkie on Thursday afternoon. The person asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

News of Pettis’ potential move was first reported Thursday by ESPN.

The 26-year-old Roufusport product was briefly tied to a fight against Kai Kara-France at UFC 245 on Dec. 14. in Las Vegas. However, Pettis decided to test free agency instead.

From late 2015 to mid-2017, Pettis (18-5) won four straight flyweight fights. The streak led him to a pivotal matchup with then-contender and future champion Henry Cejudo.

At UFC 218 in Dec. 2017, Pettis dropped a three-round unanimous decision to the Olympic wrestling gold medalist. Since then, Pettis has split his four in-cage appearances. Losses to Rob Font and Jussier Formiga were bookended by wins over Joseph Benavidez and Tyson Nam.

Pettis’ victory over Nam came as recently as Sept. 21 at UFC on ESPN+ 17 in Mexico City.