Undefeated in Seven Pro Fights, Sergio Pettis Anxious to Join His Brother in the UFC

Last month’s RFA show was supposed to be a coming out for Roufusport featherweight Sergio “Phenom” Pettis, but an injury to his opponent forced him off the card.

Thankfully, Pettis was able to get onto the NAFC card the following week and showed no signs of a letdown as he defeated Josh Robinson via unanimous decision, raising his record to 7-0.

“It was really tough mentally,” said Pettis. “I was trying to prepare for one opponent and then that unfortunately didn’t go through due to injury, but I was able to get a new opponent (in another show) the week after so I was really thankful for that.

“(Robinson) was pretty tough. He took a lot of hits. I hit him with a lot of pretty cool stuff like a spinning elbow that Jon Jones throws a lot, and I kicked him so many times that my legs are still store from kicking him. I wasn’t able to finish the guy, which sucks, but he was a really tough guy that kept coming forward.”

Even though he’s won all his fights, Pettis told MMAWeekly.com that it’s only just lately that he’s starting to come into himself as a fighter.

“I’ve learned a lot from my first fight to where I am now,” he said. “I didn’t have much of an amateur career, so I was learning as I was winning and started to feel a lot more comfortable and was able to throw some stuff that I normally do in the gym.

“At the beginning I could throw stuff, but I didn’t have much confidence behind what I was throwing. But now I’m more confident in the cage and used to performing in front of a crowd, I’m able to throw that extra meanness into my game and make everything count.”

Another big reason why Pettis has been able to progress quickly is because he’s able to use his brother, UFC star Anthony Pettis, as a guide to going about things the right way in his career.

“My brother Anthony helps me a lot out with that,” said Pettis. “He’s been through it all; coming from the bottom and now he’s at the top; the stuff that happens in between and what to look out for. He’s helping pave my career and has helped me out a lot.”

With his brother as an example, it’s no surprise that Pettis’ goal for this year is to join him on the biggest stage of MMA.

“My goal has been to get into the UFC by the time I’m 20, so I want to be in the UFC this year or by at least the time I’m 21,” he said. “Fight after fight I just want to have a good record, a clean record and just compete with the top contenders at 125 pounds.”