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Tag: Sergio Pettis

  • Mitch McKee Uses Wrestling To Take Decision Over Sergio Pettis

    Mitch McKee Uses Wrestling To Take Decision Over Sergio Pettis

    In just one fight with the PFL, Mitch McKee has established himself as someone to watch out for at bantamweight, defeating Sergio Pettis in the main event of PFL Chicago.

    McKee’s wrestling proved to be the distance from the start, taking Pettis down quickly and overwhelming him with grappling control and ground-and-pound. McKee continued this strategy in the second round, and while Pettis looked for multiple submissions, McKee was able to easily shake those off.

    Pettis, needing a finish, looked to pick up his striking in the final round. He, however, had no answer for McKee’s takedowns, as McKee went on to score 29-28 totals on all three scorecards.

    Mitch McKee defeats Sergio Pettis In PFL Chicago Main Event

    McKee made his PFL debut tonight, spending most of his career with the LFA. He last fought at LFA 217 in September, defeating Pedro Nobre.

    Pettis, the former Bellator bantamweight champion, scored a pair of wins in his first two PFL appearances last year. He defeated Raufeon Stots by decision in June and scored a highlight knockout of Magomed Magomedov in October.

  • PFL Chicago Results: Pettis vs McKee Live Updates & Highlights

    PFL Chicago Results: Pettis vs McKee Live Updates & Highlights

    PFL Chicago results and highlights are updated live as the action unfolds from the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. The main event will feature a bantamweight bout between Sergio Pettis and Mitch McKee. MMANews has you covered with all the results and highlights!

    Sergio Pettis vs. Mitch McKee – Bantamweight Main Event

    Pettis is 2-0 since arriving in the PFL, giving him two straight wins and eight wins in his last 10 fights. After dropping the Bellator bantamweight title to Patchy Mix in the promotion’s final event, Pettis fought Kyoji Horiguchi in RIZIN before debuting in the PFL last year. Pettis’ 2025 saw him earn a decision over Raufeon Stots and score a highlight knockout of Magomed Magomedov.

    This is the PFL debut for the 10-0 McKee. The highly touted prospect is an LFA and Bellator veteran. McKee most recently fought at LFA 217 in September, knocking out Pedro Nobre.

    The co-main event will be a middleweight battle between the undefeated Jordan Newman and PFL veteran Josh Silveira.

    Newman is 8-0 and fought exclusively in Bellator before the promotion’s closing. He made his PFL debut last August, needing just one round to put away Eslam Abdul Baset.

    Since coming to the PFL from the LFA, where he was a champion, it’s been a case of “the bridesmaid but never the bride” for Silveira. The 15-5 fighter is a veteran of the promotion’s old light heavyweight and middleweight tournaments, consistently falling short. Silveira made the 2023 PFL light heavyweight tournament final, only to lose to Impa Kasaganay.

    Silveira is 3-3 in his last six but has won two of his last three. He most recently fought in August, scoring a decision over Murad Ramazanov.

    If you can’t watch the action, check here for all the latest results and highlights from PFL Chicago!

    How to Watch PFL Chicago

    • Date: Saturday, April 11, 2026
    • Venue: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
    • Streaming: ESPN Unlimited (full card), ESPN2 (main card), ESPN+ (prelims)
    • Prelims: 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT
    • Main Card: 9 PM ET / 6 PM PT

    PFL Chicago Quick Results

    • Main Event: Sergio Pettis vs. Mitch McKee — Mitch McKee def. Sergio Pettis via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
    • Co-Main Event: Raufeon Stots vs. Renat Khavalov — Renat Khavalov def. Raufeon Stots via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
    • Viviane Araujo vs. Shanna Young — Viviane Araujo def. Shanna Young (30-27 x3)
    • Gabriel Braga vs. Cheyden Leialoha — Gabriel Braga def. Cheyden Leialoha via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

    PFL Chicago Results & Highlights

    Preliminary Card (ESPN+, 6 PM ET)

    Welterweight: Valanti Atsas vs. Nate Jennerman

    Result: Valanti Atsas def. Nate Jennerman via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

    Lightweight: Biaggio Ali Walsh vs. Dash Harris

    Result: Biaggio Ali Walsh def. Dash Harris via TKO (Rd. 1, 0:46)

    Heavyweight: Alexandr Romanov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento

    Result: Alexandr Romanov def. Rodrigo Nascimento via submission (guillotine choke) (Rd. 2, 3:10)

    Women’s Flyweight: Kana Watanabe vs. Paulina Wisniewska

    Result: Paulina Wisniewska def. Kana Watanabe via TKO (Rd. 2, 3:15)

    Welterweight: Omar El Dafrawy vs. James Vake

    Result: Omar El Dafrawy def. James Vake via KO (Rd. 1, 1:12)

    Women’s Flyweight: Jena Bishop vs. Borena Tsertsvadze

    Result: Jena Bishop def. Borena Tsertsvadze via submission (rear-naked choke) (Rd. 1, 2:21)

    Main Card (ESPN2, 9 PM ET)

    Featherweight: Gabriel Braga vs. Cheyden Leialoha

    Result: Gabriel Braga def. Cheyden Leialoha via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

    Women’s Flyweight: Viviane Araujo vs. Shanna Young

    Result: Viviane Araujo def. Shanna Young (30-27 x3)

    Bantamweight: Raufeon Stots vs. Renat Khavalov

    Result: Renat Khavalov def. Raufeon Stots via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

    Middleweight: Jordan Newman vs. Josh Silveira – NEWMAN WITHDRAWS FOR UNKNOWN REASON, BOUT CANCELED

    Result:

    Bantamweight: Sergio Pettis vs. Mitch McKee

    Result: Mitch McKee def. Sergio Pettis via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

  • “Just Killed A Man On Live Television” – Anthony Pettis And Fans React To Sergio Pettis Pulling Off Comeback KO Of Magomed Magomedov In Title Eliminator At PFL Champions Series 3

    “Just Killed A Man On Live Television” – Anthony Pettis And Fans React To Sergio Pettis Pulling Off Comeback KO Of Magomed Magomedov In Title Eliminator At PFL Champions Series 3

    Four years ago, Sergio Pettis was behind on the scorecards against Kyoji Horiguchi when he landed a spinning backfist knockout to retain his Bellator title.

    Now, in a very similar circumstance, Magomed Magomedov appeared to be near a finish of Pettis in the second round before Pettis pulled off a spinning back elbow to drop Magomedov out cold in a bantamweight title eliminator at PFL Champions Series 3.

    Pettis connected with jabs and a brief trip early, while Magomedov answered with a flying knee and a takedown, ending the first round in top control. Magomedov then used his grappling to take over the second round, consistently bringing Pettis to the ground and locking in body triangles, threatening chokes on multiple occasions, seemingly near a finish.

    But in the round’s closing seconds, Pettis countered a jumping knee from Magomedov with a side kick before landing a spinning back elbow that put Magomedov’s lights out and gave him the victory.

    Sergio Pettis Scores Highlight KO Of Magomed Magomedov At PFL Champions Series 3

    Pettis, the former Bellator bantamweight champion, has now won two straight and eight of his last 10.

    Magomedov has traded wins and losses consecutively since dropping a fight to Raufeon Stots in Bellator in 2021.

  • ‘A Sparring Match’ – Fans Rip Into Sergio Pettis Besting Former Teammate Raufeon Stots In Lackluster Outing At PFL Chicago

    ‘A Sparring Match’ – Fans Rip Into Sergio Pettis Besting Former Teammate Raufeon Stots In Lackluster Outing At PFL Chicago

    A fight between former teammates and two of the best bantamweights in the world was ultimately lackluster; however, Sergio Pettis did enough to defeat Raufeon Stots at PFL Chicago.

    Pettis dictated the pace early with kicks, landing clean combinations, while Stots didn’t bring out his expert wrestling abilities until scoring a takedown with about 40 seconds left in the round.

    Pettis landed a slick backfist early in the second, but Stots responded by landing a strong punch that stumbled Pettis before landing a takedown. Pettis didn’t provide much defense from there, as Stots controlled the round on the ground.

    Both men traded in a stand-up affair for the third round before, again, Stots scored a takedown with 40 seconds left, but didn’t do enough to take the round.

    All three judges scored the fight for Pettis 29-28.

    Sergio Pettis Outworks Raufeon Stots In Battle Of Former Teammates At PFL Chicago

    https://twitter.com/ArbBetsEveryday/status/1938811357710725425

    Pettis, the former Bellator bantamweight champion, came into this fight off a pair of losses against Patchy Mix (losing his belt in the process) and Kyoji Horiguchi (a rematch of Pettis’ award-winning knockout in 2021).

    Stots, the former interim Bellator champion, is now 3-2 in his last five.

  • Sergio Pettis Out Of Bellator Grand Prix, Interim Title Goes To Winner

    Bellator’s bantamweight grand prix has suffered a major blow as champion, Sergio Pettis suffered an injury and is now out of the tournament.

    On Tuesday morning it was revealed by CBS Sports that Pettis was forced to withdraw from the field due to injury. He was supposed to fight Raufeon Stots in the opening round at Bellator 279 on April 23 in Hawaii. With Pettis out of the fight, Juan Archuleta will now face Stots on the card for the interim bantamweight title, which will be on the line throughout the grand prix.

    Pettis’ injury was not disclosed but it is a massive blow for the grand prix as the eight fighters will now be fighting for the interim title. The champ is coming off a stunning KO win over Kyoji Horiguchi to defend his bantamweight title for the first time. He won the belt by decision after defeating Archuleta in May.

    Along with Pettis being out of the Bellator bantamweight grand prix, it’s likely that Josh Hill will now enter the tournament. He was named the alternate after a vicious KO win over Jared Scoggins in December.

    Raufeon Stots, meanwhile, is 17-1 and coming off a decision win over Magomed Magomedov in August. He’s currently 5-0 in Bellator with notable wins over Josh Hill, Keith Lee, and Cass Bell. His lone loss was a spinning backfist KO to Merab Dvalishvili.

    Juan Archuleta, on the other hand, has not fought since his loss to Pettis to lose his bantamweight title. He won the vacant belt with a decision win over Patchy Mix in September 2020 after dropping back down to bantamweight.

    With Stots now fighting Archuleta, Bellator 279 is as follows:

    • Raufeon Stots vs. Juan Archuleta – interim bantamweight title
    • Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe- featherweight title
    • Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Patchy Mix – bantamweight grand prix
    • Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Justin Kish
    • Yancy Medeiros vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
    • Kai Kamaka III vs. Justin Gonzalez

  • Cyborg, Pettis & Horiguchi Return As Bellator Heads Back To Hawaii

    Bellator MMA is set to return to Hawaii next month and will be bringing some blockbuster matchups with it to the islands.

    The promotion hasn’t headed to the off-the-mainland state since it held Bellator 235 and 236 on consecutive nights in 2019. Now, with a pandemic that shut down travel, sport, and large gatherings across the world beginning to die down, the mixed martial arts spotlight is set to return to Hawaii.

    As first reported by KHON2, Bellator will once again be putting on two events on back-to-back dates. As well as hosting Bellator 278 on April 22, the Neal S. Blaisdell Center will see Bellator 279 go down the very next night.

    While there’s yet to be any fights added to the opening night, Bellator 279 is already shaping up to be a must-watch card. With multiple title fights set to go down, two of Bellator’s top champions will return to action.

    Cris Cyborg (25-2), a former Strikeforce, Invicta FC, and UFC featherweight titleholder, is set to make the fourth defense of her 145-pound Bellator gold. Her latest victory saw her overcome Sinead Kavanagh at UFC 271.

    Challenging her in Honolulu will be familiar foe Arlene Blencowe (15-8). Since falling short of dethroning Cyborg in 2020, the Australian 38-year-old has won back-to-back contests against Dayana Silva and Pam Sorensen, earning herself a second crack at the belt.

    Elsewhere, as part of the $1 million Bantamweight Grand Prix, Sergio Pettis (22-5) will put his 135-pound title on the line against Raufeon Stots (17-1). Since leaving the UFC for Bellator in 2019, “The Phenom” has built a four-fight win streak that includes a championship crowning versus Juan Archuleta and a successful defense and knockout of the year contender against the great Kyoji Horiguchi.

    Like Pettis, Stots has remained unbeaten on the Bellator stage. In five appearances, “Supa” has extended his MMA win streak to nine and defeated the likes of Magomed Magomedov and Josh Hill. In 18 career fights, Stots’ one defeat came at the hands of top-10 UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili.

    In another notable bout, Horiguchi (29-4) will make his third appearance in the Bellator cage against Patchy Mix (15-1). That clash will mark another first-round Grand Prix context. Elsewhere, Hawaii’s Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (11-1) will square off against Justine Kish (7-5).

    The currently announced Bellator 279 card (main card set for 9:30 p.m. ET) is as follows:

    Sergio Pettis vs. Raufeon Stots – Bantamweight title bout

    Cris Cyborg vs. Arlene Blencowe – Featherweight title bout

    Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Patchy Mix – Bantamweight bout

    Ilima-Lei Macfarlane vs. Justine Kish – Flyweight bout

    Fights for Bellator 278 (main card set for 9 p.m. ET) are yet to be announced.

    Are you excited for Bellator’s return to Hawaii next month?

  • Bellator 272 Results & Highlights: Pettis KOs Horiguchi

    Bellator 272 took place tonight from the Mohegan Sun Arena with a title fight in one of their most challenging divisions.

    Sergio Pettis took on the former Bellator MMA and RIZIN bantamweight champion, Kyoji Horiguchi. This was Pettis’ first title defense since winning it from Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258. Fans might remember that when Horiguchi held the two coveted 135-pound titles he had to relinquish them when he was injured in 2019.Β 

    Oddly enough, the injury happened just before the end of the year and before COVID-19 rocked the world. It gave Horiguchi enough time to rest and return to action at the end of 2020 at RIZIN 26 where he avenged his non-title fight loss to Kai Asakura.

    Check out the highlights from the main event between Sergio Pettis and Kyoji Horiguchi below followed by the Bellator 272 fast results!

    BELLATOR MMA 272: PETTIS VS. HORIGUCHI Quick Results


    MAIN CARD

    Bantamweight Championship Bout: Sergio Pettis Β© def. Kyoji Horiguchi via knockout (spinning backfist): R4, 3:24

    Jeremy Kennedy def. Emmanuel Sanchez via unanimous decision (30-27×3)

    Josh Hill def. Jared Scoggins via knockout (punch): R2, 0:56

    Johnny Eblen def. Collin Huckbody via TKO (punches): R1, 1:11

    PRELIMINARY CARD

    Alexander Shabliy def. Bobby King via unanimous decision (30-27×3)

    Kai Kamaka III def. John DeJesus via unanimous decision (29-28×3)

    Levan Chokheli def. Vinicius de Jesus via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27×2)

    Justin Montalvo def. Jacob Bohn via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28×2)

    Mike Hamel def. Killys Mota via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)

    Spike Carlyle def. Dan Moret via technical submission (rear-naked choke): R3, 2:58

    Kyle Crutchmer def. Oliver Enkamp via unanimous decision (30-27×3)