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A Fighter’s Path: The Path of UFC Siblings

Anthony and Sergio Pettis

Former UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis (Left) and current Bellator bantamweight Sergio Pettis (Right) posing together.

Anthony Pettis

Age: 34 | Lightweight | Record: 24-10, 11-9 UFC

For a brief period of time Anthony Pettis was one of the most recognizable figures in the sport. His electrifying style and good looks made him a fan favorite among UFC fans. Pettis has Puerto Rican and Mexican heritage and in fact his grandfather changed his last name to Pettis from Pérez to avoid discrimination upon moving to the U.S. When Pettis was 16 years old, his father was stabbed at a friend’s house leading to his death. At just 5 years old, Pettis began his journey into the martial arts world when he began taekwondo and boxing. At 18, he began training at Roufusport with Duke Roufus and would embark on what would go on to become Hall of Fame career.

On his twentieth birthday, Anthony Pettis received the ultimate birthday present in a pro debut for local promotion Gladiator Cage Fighting. Over the course of the next 18 months, ‘Showtime’ would pick up eight victories earning him a contract with WEC. In December of 2009, he would suffer his first loss a professional when he was narrowly defeated by 45-fight veteran Bart Palaszewski. This lit a fire under Pettis as he earned three consecutive victories following the defeat which would earn him a title fight against Benson Henderson. It’s not every day one moment in a fight can change your entire career. Pettis landed the Showtime kick when he ran off the cage and caught Henderson with a headkick. This kick has been played before every single one of Pettis’ fights since. Pettis would capture his first world title in the contest defeating Henderson via unanimous decision.

Like most debutants in the UFC, Pettis suffered an early defeat at the hands of Clay Guida. After the defeat, Pettis would pick up victories over Jeremy Stephens, Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone to earn a title shot in the UFC. After an injury to TJ Grant, Pettis was granted a shot at the very man he stole the WEC title from a few years prior, Benson Henderson. The odds were quite even heading into the fight despite Pettis leading the head-to-head. He caught the champion late in the first round with an armbar which won him his first major world title. Over the course of his nine-fight UFC career, Pettis left his mark on the industry as a whole. He left the organization upon the expiry of his contract in December and has signed with PFL. When he hangs up the gloves for the final time, expect to see him get the call to be in the UFC Hall of Fame for his accomplishments.

Sergio Pettis

Age: 27 | Bantamweight | Record: 20-5, 9-5 UFC

In the eyes of most, Sergio Pettis is always going to be the young up-and-coming prospect who has a ton of potential. Pettis entered the sport with a lot of eyes on him because of the shoes he had to fill. When his father passed away in 2003, Sergio was only 10 years old. In many ways it forced him mature at a quicker rate than most kids his age. The age gap between him and his siblings was certainly another reason behind the rapid maturity of Pettis.

Sergio Pettis embarked on his MMA journey three days before his 16th birthday when he faced 20-year-old Jordan Winski at Gladiators Cage Fighting. Over the course of the next 12 months, Pettis picked up four victories as an amateur on the regional circuit. At the age of 18, Sergio Pettis decided to go pro. This debut would come only a few months after Anthony made his debut as a UFC fighter against Clay Guida. In the first few fights of his MMA career, Pettis would finish most of his opponents drawing many comparisons to his older brother. After extending his record to 9-0 in two years, 20-year-old Sergio Pettis would sign for the UFC joining his older brother on the roster. The signing was expected to take place sooner in his career, but Roufusport coach Duke Roufus wanted Pettis to gain some more experience before signing with the top MMA promotion.

In his UFC debut, Sergio Pettis was matched up with Will Campuzano who had won five consecutive fights up to that point. Sergio Pettis would become one of the youngest fighters to ever win a UFC fight when he defeated Campuzano via unanimous decision. In his next fight he would taste defeat for the first time when he lost to Alex Caceres via submission late in their contest. This was a turning point for him as his style changed tremendously after this fight. Over the course of the next three years, Pettis would go on a 7-1 run at both flyweight and bantamweight.

Summary

When you imagine UFC siblings, the Pettis brothers are one of the first that come to mind. Both fighters have excelled so far in their careers and still compete at the highest level in other organizations. Anthony Pettis has already captured a world title in the UFC and will begin his quest to add another in this years PFL Lightweight Tournament. Sergio Pettis is roughly the same age as Anthony was when he captured his first world title in the UFC back in 2013. Sergio Pettis has an opportunity to win the Bellator Bantamweight World Title on May 7 at Bellator 258 when he face Juan Archuleta. As of right now, Anthony Pettis has the advantage having won both the UFC and WEC World Titles. However, Sergio is right on his heels and only has four less wins despite being seven years younger.

Sergio Pineiro

Sergio Pineiro is the Founder of FighterPath.com and host of the Quarantinecast podcast. Based in Canada he is both a sports journalist and MMA enthusiast. He practices the sport but has a passion for the individual stories of training, fighting and living the fighting lifestyle.

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