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By Damon Martin



Sergio Pettis is currently in the midst of his best run in the UFC's flyweight division with three wins in a row and a main event slot this Saturday night against rising star Brandon Moreno in Mexico City.



Despite his current run and the headline spot he's occupying this weekend at UFC Fight Night 114, Pettis couldn't ignore the recent news swirling around the 125-pound weight class when UFC President Dana White began to throw around talk he'd contemplated getting rid of the entire flyweight division.



The comments were made at the same time White was embroiled in a disagreement with flyweight king Demetrious Johnson over his next title defense. The UFC wanted Johnson to face former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, while Johnson argued for the matchup he was originally offered against Ray Borg.



Ultimately, cooler heads prevailed, and Johnson will meet Borg in the headline fight at UFC 215 in September. However, Pettis can't deny that he was a little bit worried hearing his job might be on the line if White decided to dump the entire flyweight division.



"I was scared to hear that," Pettis told FloCombat from Mexico City. "Because I'm en route to become the new champion in the flyweight division. It needs a new face, and I'm ready to be that face. Obviously, that's scary to hear that the boss was ready to get rid of my division.



"I think we're a division that's growing, and we're getting more and more exciting. Even look at the competitors that are getting in the division, myself and (Brandon) Moreno's a beast, too. All of the other young guys coming up."



While it was worrisome that White even hinted at dropping the flyweight division, Pettis was always hopeful that it was a comment made in the heat of the moment during the UFC president's disagreement with the current champion.



As much as Pettis wants to be the one to take the title from Johnson, he knows how good the flyweight king has been throughout his UFC career. And that's always an asset worth having on the roster.



In fact, Johnson's next fight will be his 11th straight title defense, which would set an all time record if he's successful in his bout against Borg in September.



"I don't think they're going to get rid of the division. I mean D.J., regardless of who he's fighting next, he's an amazing athlete," Pettis said. "He's one of the best to do it. Every time he performs, it's something new and he achieves a new goal."



When he first came to the UFC, Pettis had a world of hype surrounding his debut as the younger brother of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. But at that time, Sergio failed to live up to expectations.



Pettis is the first to admit the mistakes he made during his earliest days in the UFC, but those tough lessons made him a better fighter. That's why he's so confident he will be the flyweight to finally bring Johnson's reign to an end.



"(Jose) Aldo had a reign for a while, and someone caught up to him," Pettis said. "(Anderson) Silva had a reign, and someone caught up to him as well. It's just a matter of time. I'm part of the new wave, the new generation, and I'm ready to catch up to the champion and become one myself.



"It's just a matter of time before somebody catches D.J., and I'm going to be the one to catch him."



To get to Johnson, Pettis has to go through Moreno this weekend, and that's his primary focus more than anything else right now.



That being said, Pettis knows with an impressive outing in the main event on Saturday night that he could be poised for a title shot against the winner of the UFC 215 main event between Johnson and Borg.



"Every fight I fight, I'm hoping to be a No. 1 contender," Pettis said. "I think my name is one of the biggest names in the flyweight division. I mean even D.J. himself said he wanted to fight me instead of Ray Borg.



"This is just another stone for me to step on and get up closer to that title."

