Sergio Pettis steps into his Bellator debut ready to prove he’s the better fighter

Looking back on his 2019, bantamweight Sergio Pettis feels like it was one of his most eventful years, even if he only got to fight once.

Having missed out on fighting the first half of the year due to fights falling through, Pettis was able to pick up a unanimous decision win over Tyson Nam at UFC on ESPN+ 17 in September before leaving the promotion and signing with Bellator.

“2019 was interesting for me,” Pettis told MMAWeekly.com. “I was supposed to fight in June against Ricardo Ramos, and I got injured. I went back out in September against Tyson Nam, got the W. Then I was a free agent for a little bit and got the opportunity to sign with Bellator and that’s where we’re at right now.”

When it comes to having to wait until September of last year to finally fight in 2019, Pettis was frustrated but didn’t let it dampen his spirits too much, as it’s something he’s been through before.

“I’ve definitely gone through that in the past, so I’ve just got to stay calm, stay humble, show up, and the opportunity will present itself,” said Pettis. “That’s how life goes. Sometimes you’ve just got to go through it and you get better from it.”

On Saturday in Inglewood, Calif., Pettis (18-5) will make his promotional debut when he faces Alfred Khashakyan (11-4) in a Bellator 238 main card bantamweight bout.

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“He’s very aggressive; he likes to go in there and try to finish the fight,” Pettis said of Khashakyan. “That’s awesome. I’m glad he’s going to try to do that me. I’m going to go out there and show him that I’m better all around – stand-up, grappling – go out there and be a full mixed martial artist.”

For Pettis, 2020 will play out as it plays out, because he’s not one to focus too much on what’s next, but rather chooses to focus on what’s in front of him.

“I feel like I go fight by fight,” said Pettis. “I’m really focused on the opportunity in front of me. I’m not looking past anybody. I feel like that’s the best way to approach it: take it fight by fight, and whatever happens, happens.”