Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
The former UFC fighter faces off against Alfred Khashakyan.
Former UFC flyweight and bantamweight fighter Sergio Pettis will make his promotional debut at Bellator 238 on January 25th.
Sergio Pettis (18-5) was initially scheduled to face Kai Kara-France at UFC 245. However ‘Baby Pettis’ instead opted to explore free agency and ultimately sign with Bellator MMA.
The final fight on Pettis’ UFC contract was against Tyson Nam last September. Pettis, the younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, won that bout by unanimous decision.
Most of Pettis’ UFC tenure, which began back in 2013, was spent in the flyweight division; where he beat contenders such as Joseph Benavidez and John Moraga. However, the 26-year-old has elected to compete in Bellator’s bantamweight division due to the lack of flyweights in the promotion.
The honor of welcoming Pettis to the Bellator cage falls to Alfred Khashakyan (11-4) who also makes his promotional debut. Fight fans may recall Khashakyan from season 2 of Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS). The 31-year-old hails from Glendale Fighting Club, the former stable of WWE superstar Ronda Rousey. Despite experiencing a knockout loss to Sean O’Malley in DWCS, Khashakyan has not lost since and is currently on a three-fight winning streak.
Headlining the event is a women’s featherweight championship bout between another UFC alum, Cris Cyborg (21-2, 1NC), and current featherweight queen Julia Budd (13-2).
Bellator 238 airs live on DAZN and will take place at The Forum in Inglewood, California.