Sergio Pettis gets opponent, main card slot for Bellator 238 debut

Sergio Pettis’ Bellator debut will take place next month.

After a 14-fight UFC stint, Pettis (18-5 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) switched promotions last month and is set to make his first appearance when he meets Alfred Khashakyan (11-4 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) in a bantamweight bout at Bellator 238, which takes place Jan. 25 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., and streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with multiple people close to the situation.

Following a six-year tenure that spanned across the UFC’s bantamweight and flyweight divisions, Pettis closed out his contract with the organization with a unanimous decision win over Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN+ 17 in September. Just weeks later, he signed with Bellator.

In his debut, Pettis will face a fellow newcomer of the Bellator roster. Khashakyan, who is a veteran of Dana White’s Contender Series, is coming off a streak of three consecutive first-round knockouts.

The latest Bellator 238 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

• Julia Budd vs. Cris Cyborg
• Adam Borics vs. Darrion Caldwell
• Alfred Khashakyan vs. Sergio Pettis

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

• Aaron Pico vs. Daniel Carey
• AJ Agazarm vs. Adel Altamimi
• Mario Navarro vs. Jay Jay Wilson
• Khonry Gracie vs. Hector Saldana
• David Pacheco vs. Craig Plaskett
• Brandon Bender vs. Gabriel Green
• Dominic Clark vs. Ricardo Seixas Filho
• Tyler Beneke vs. Jarrett Connor
• Curtis Millender vs. Moses Murrietta