Sergio Pettis reacts to Aaron Pico, Patchy Mix’s UFC debut loss
Sergio Pettis speaks to MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura about his upcoming fight against Magomed Magomedov at PFL Championship Series 3 on Oct. 3.
Things are looking a bit murky in the PFL’s bantamweight division, but Sergio Pettis is clear on what he wants.
Pettis (24-7), a former Bellator bantamweight champion now competing for PFL, would like to have a bet wrapped around his waist in the near future. However, he hasn’t been made clear on how exactly that would look like.
Under the PFL banner, many weight classes have two titles – the belt for the promotion’s Championship Series and the belt for each winner of the annual tournament. At 135 pounds, Patchy Mix left to the UFC, leaving behind his PFL Championship Series belt, while Marcirley Alves won the 2025 PFL bantamweight tournament.
Pettis isn’t sure if Alves is game to be challenged or if the promotion will have a fight for the vacant PFL Championship Series bantamweight title. Either way, Pettis wants to get his hands on gold.
“They haven’t cleared the situation for me,” Pettis told MMA Junkie. “I was hoping that it might be a title shot, which I think it’s very acceptable for me and Magomed Magomedov, even Raufeon Stots. We were close to fighting for a belt before we got transitioned from Bellator to PFL. But as of right now, it’s looking like Magomed Magomedov and nothing is set in stone after.
“I think I’m going to be in the tournament next year, for sure, but I don’t know how they’re going to make that layout work with champion vs. contender type thing. I’m not too sure. All I know is Magomed Magomedov on Oct. 3. I’ve been watching this guy for a while, so I’m very familiar with his style, and I know how much of a beast he is. This is a big fight for me, for sure.”
Pettis returns to the smart cage on Oct. 3, as he’s set to take on Magomed Magomedov on the main card of PFL Champions Series 3. It’s a high profile bout given Pettis’ status as a former Bellator champion, and Magomedov’s as a long-time contender and former Bellator title challenger.
Pettis’ focus is on winning the fight, and not so much on what exactly will follow next. Despite the uncertainty, Pettis is happy with his experience in PFL. Although some big Bellator names had their issues with PFL following the merger, that hasn’t been the case for Pettis.
“Things have been good now that I got back into the game,” Pettis explained. “It was a little uncertain for a bit not having a fight or not knowing what organization I’d be in because I went from Bellator to Rizin for a one-off fight, had a couple of boxing fights to stay busy, and yeah, as of right now, things have been good. They treat me really well. The last experience I had in Chicago went really well, everyone in the back end is really professionally. They do a good job overall. I’m very happy with PFL.”
