Sergio Pettis shuts down Patricio Freire’s triple-champ status at Bellator 297
Co-headlining Bellator 297 was the first of two title bouts, this one coming at 135 lbs showcasing Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis (23-5), who aimed to make the second defense of his title against Bellator featherweight champion and former Bellator lightweight champion Patricio ‘Pitbull’ Freire (35-6).
Pettis hadn’t fought since December of 2021 when he KO’d former Rizin and Bellator bantamweight champion Kyoji Horiguchi in round four with that nasty spinning back fist. But that’s a fight he was losing every second of up until it was over.
Against the greatest talent in promotional history, a multi-division champion that’s 10-1 in his last 11 with a win over the lone defeat, Pettis had some serious proving to do going into tonight’s co-main event.
On the contrary, Freire had a chance to become a three-division world champion, which is just unheard of in MMA.
Continue reading to see how this epic championship co-main went down:
Official Result: Sergio Pettis def. Patricio Freire via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45)
Freire has success with his leg kicks early on in the first, also landing a good body kick in the opening stretch. He’s able to get Pettis down for a moment in round one, though Pettis got right back to his feet where he held his own through the first five minutes.
Pettis starts to come alive in the second with his crisp, precise striking.
Freire catches him with some good strikes of his own, but Pettis’ body punches, jabs, and one-two’s probably won him the round. If they didn’t, the spinning wheel kick that wobbled Freire at the very end of the second did.
Freire begins to look lost on the feet in during the middle stretch, Pettis is just picking him apart with ease. Freire does however secure a double leg takedown with about 20 seconds left in the third.
Freire is however unable to take Pettis down in the fourth, and continues to be out-struck by the quicker, cleaner striker. Pettis is used to being just that, the quicker and cleaner striker, but not many people expected this out of him.
Pettis just gets sharper and sharper as the fight goes on, having an even easier fifth and final round.
Sergio Pettis looked incredible tonight, winning four rounds to one, if not getting the 5-0 sweep against the greatest fighter the Bellator cage has ever seen to make the second defense of his bantamweight title at Bellator 297.
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