Much More Than Anthony’s Little Brother

Sergio Pettis will look to add another mixed martial arts (MMA) title to his trophy case this Friday night (May 7, 2021) when he takes on current Bellator MMA Bantamweight champion, Juan Archuleta, in the main event of Bellator 258 inside Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Winner of three in a row — including his first two fights for Bellator — Pettis has done well for himself after an extensive run under the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) banner, which saw him collect an impressive 9-5 record inside the Octagon before crossing over to the Viacom-owned promotion.

Being the younger brother of a former UFC champion Anthony Pettis, it’s real easy to get the spotlight on you right away and have some lofty expectations set on you from the jump. Pettis has managed to take it all well and says while he will always be “Showtime’s” little brother, he’s made quite a name for himself and taking out Archuleta would be a nicer cherry on top.

“I feel like I have built my own legacy. There’s a lot of media saying I’m the little brother still – which I am. I’m always going to be Anthony’s little brother,” said Pettis during a recent media day. “He’s got six-and-a-half years on me regardless. I feel like I have built my own legacy and getting a belt this Friday would definitely build my legacy.”

While Sergio left UFC before getting the chance to add that title to his collection, winning the Bellator strap would solidify his spot among the best 135-pound fighters in the world.

“I feel like if you come into this sport and you don’t have the goal to be a champion, you’re just fighting for no reason. I’m here to make a legacy for myself, build my name up and get some belts of my own,” he added before revealing that he was linked to face Archuleta in his Bellator debut in Jan. 2020.

“I actually heard rumors that was going to be my first fight coming into BELLATOR, Juan Archuleta. So I’ve been prepping to fight him for a while. I’ve been watching him for a while too.

It will be a tough task for “The Phenom” come Friday night to say the least because “The Spaniard” has been firing on all cylinder for quite some time now, with his lone defeat in the last six years coming at the hands of current Bellator “champ-champ,” Patricio Freire.

Still, the 27 year-old striker is more than prepared for the task ahead of him.

“He’s 25-2. He’s fought a couple of my teammates and done really well. Anytime we’ve interacted it’s always been love and respect. We don’t got no bad blood towards each other. At the end of the day, this is business and that’s when things get interesting.”

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