Two of the biggest stars in Bellator’s lighter weight classes have committed their fighting futures to the promotion after signing extended deals with the promotion.
Both bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis and interim bantamweight champion Patchy Mix have put pen to paper on extended contracts with the promotion, and the pair are all set to face off in a blockbuster championship unification bout later this year.
Pettis has enjoyed an incredible run of success since joining Bellator in 2020. The Milwaukee native has risen up the 135-pound rankings and defeated Juan Archuleta at Bellator 258 to capture the bantamweight title.
His first title defense saw him score one of the most stunning knockouts in Bellator history with a spectacular spinning backfist knockout of the highly-fancied former champ Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272 in December 2021. Most recently, he faced the toughest test of his title credentials to date as he took on former two-division champion Patricio Pitbull, who was bidding to make Bellator history by winning a championship in a third different weight class. But, in another display of his quality, Pettis outstruck and outworked featherweight champion Pitbull to retain his title and cement himself as one of the top pound-for-pound talents on the Bellator roster.
His next test will come against Mix, who has proved himself to be the most dangerous threat to Pettis’ title reign with a remarkable string of results. He has won his last five fights, with four of those victories coming via finish, three of them by submission. His most recent win saw him dethrone Raufeon Stots via first-round knockout to win the $1 million Bellator Bantamweight World Grand Prix and capture the interim bantamweight title at Bellator 295.
With both men now singing exclusive, multi-fight contract extensions, their upcoming title unification matchup is all set to determine who will head into 2024 as the promotion’s premier bantamweight.