Trainer: Sergio Pettis to use UFC bonus money toward surgery

UFC bantamweight Sergio Pettis suffered the first loss of his professional career at UFC on FOX 10 on Saturday night, and according to his coach, Duke Roufus, Pettis “didn’t take it well.”

Then again, Roufus added, “most successful people don’t.”

In the third and final round of a “Fight of the Night” bonus-worthy effort against Alex Caceres (10-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC), Pettis attempted a heel hook that turned into a scramble, which in turn allowed Caceres to lock up a rear-naked choke for the submission finish. It was a devastating turn of events for Pettis (10-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC), but Roufus insists that some good will come out of it.

For one thing, there’s the motivation that Pettis, the younger brother to UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, will derive from his first pro loss, Roufus said.

“Things have been very easy for Sergio,” Roufus said. “Not that he doesn’t work hard; he’s one of the most disciplined guys I know, in all areas. But because he’s been so disciplined, a lot of things have come easy. But this really hit him hard, and it’s really going to put a chip on his shoulder.”

Second, and perhaps most important, is what Pettis plans to do with his $50,000 bonus check. According to Roufus, he’s going to use part of it to get corrective eye surgery.

“He’s been wearing contacts into the cage,” Roufus said. “They get knocked out early in the fight, so what happens is he stands there squinting in front of his opponents. That’s what’s caused him to get hit so much in his last two fights. It’s easier for him to look at them if he stays still in front of his opponents instead of moving his feet.”

It’s a similar problem to the one that teammates Erik Koch and Pettis’ older brother Anthony faced, Roufus said. The lightweight champ also used to fight with contacts in his eyes, according to Roufus, and when they were inevitably knocked out, it didn’t exactly help his chances.

“It dramatically improved Anthony’s game,” Roufus said. “So that’s what Sergio’s going to do. He’s going to reinvest that bonus wisely and get that corrective surgery.”

Of course, even improved vision won’t magically insulate the younger Pettis brother from the risks inherent in an MMA fight. Particularly in the UFC’s quickly developing bantamweight division, there are plenty of things that can go wrong in the cage, and as Roufus was quick to point out, experience will be key to Pettis’ success going forward.

“He’s just got to get used to the big lights,” Roufus said. “He’s a 20-year-old kid, and there’s a lot of pressure on him, but I was proud of him. It was hard. He was heartbroken, but that’s the fight game. Combat sports are two-way traffic. If you’re ready to win, you better also be ready to bounce back from losses.”

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