You may know the name, even if you don't know the fighter.
But teenage MMA prospect Sergio Pettis believes he could be just a couple away fights away from joining big brother and former WEC champion Anthony Pettis under the bright lights of the UFC.
"I'm thinking like two or three more fights maybe, but I don't want to go into the UFC not fully prepared," he told MMAjunkie.com Radio (
www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I don't want to look like a slouch. I want to look like a Jon Jones of my division.
"I want to come in confident. People are going to be amazed at what I can throw. I'm taking my time. I'm young. A have a lot of time ahead. But we'll see what Duke says."
"Duke," of course, is veteran trainer Duke Roufus. He's also a fight promoter, and on Friday, Pettis (3-0) drops from bantamweight to flyweight for his co-headliner with Chris Haney (3-3) at "NAFC: Colosseum" at Potawatomi Bingo Casino in Milwaukee.
Pettis, whose friends are too young to even get into the event, first began training with Roufus as a 14-year-old, and he fought as an amateur through high school. After two years on the high-school wrestling team – where he wrestled as heavy as 145 pounds and as light as 135 – he focused his efforts on MMA.
Looking back, he missed a lot a lot of the high-school experience because of training and his burgeoning fight career. However, now possibly on the verge of a big-show contract, he'd do it all over again.
"I don't regret any decisions I made in high school," he said. "All the teachers supported it. A couple come to my fights and support me. But a lot of them had their opinions and said it was dangerous and they didn't want me ruining my pretty face."
So, the younger Pettis has game? He had the hot history teacher rooting him on?
"Nah, the hot Spanish teacher," he joked.
Pettis made his amateur debut three years ago (before he could drive), and his pro debut came this past September. The experience level of his opponents has increased with each fight, and most recently, he submitted 28-fight vet Mike Lindquist for his third stoppage win as a pro.
Obviously, everything is new, and he's still finding his place in the sport. But when he heard earlier this year that the UFC had launched a 125-pound flyweight division, it became his focus.
Admittedly, it hasn't been easy. He's had a strict diet for the first time. He expects his final weight cut to be grueling. And as an 18-year-old, he knows there's always the possibility of a growth sport (one just like his brother got after high school) that could derail his flyweight plans.
"I'm trying to get down to 125 for the first, so it's kind of hard," he said. "They just opened the division in the UFC, so we made the decision to cut to 125. It could be permanent, or I could jump back if I get taller."
"But for the day of weigh-ins, it's going to suck horrible. I'm going to be pretty crabby."
However, any level of success could set the groundwork for big things. His last name gives him the type of instant credibility fighters can't buy. His affiliation with Roufusport MMA speaks to his professionalism. His age could provide a lucrative marketing opportunity for a promoter such as the UFC.
Now, he just needs to prove he can put it all together – and that the constant comparisons to Anthony are warranted.
"I don't mind [the comparisons]," he said. "A lot of people expect me to jump off cages and do all these spin kicks like him. I'm a little different than Anthony. I think people would say I'm more passive, you'd say. But I think it's because in my first few fights, I didn't let it all go as much I wanted.
"But in this fight, I'm going to show the world I can do those tricks too and just have fun in there."
Source: Sergio Pettis, 18, thinks move to UFC could be just a few fights away
