CHICAGO – To the outside observer, it appeared smooth sailing for [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] when he defended his title Friday at Bellator 297.
During the lead-up to his main event bout at Winstar Arena, it seemed all eyes and most headlines were on Pettis’ opponent Patricio Freire, despite being title challenger. The spotlight wasn’t as much on the champion as it normally is.
Even Pettis (23-5 MMA, 5-0 BMMA) admits that he may have given in to doubt a little bit, though it’s not necessarily irregular for him pre-fight.
“I ain’t going to lie,” Pettis told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “I was telling my girl like, ‘Hey, if I lose to anybody, it’s OK to lose to Patricio ‘Pitbull.’ He’s a legend. I didn’t think I was going to lose, I just had battles in my mind. I was nervous, scared, all of the above. Eighteen months off from competing, so I kind of forgot how all this felt. It’s the opposite of Nate Diaz. I am surprised, motherf*ckers.”
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Pettis, 29, opened up in pre-fight interviews pertaining to his ongoing struggles with anxiety and depression. The issues became particularly spotlighted recently due to Pettis’ knee injury and recovery over the past year.
“It was something I had to battle for sure,” Pettis said. “It was an intense day for me today, pacing back and forth, sweating nonstop. I was definitely nervous. To get past that and have these battles with myself, I think that’s the thing that makes me perform my best. Thinking I’m going to lose and possibly going out there willing to risk it but not being afraid to lose. It’s a weird thing. I’ve got to figure it out.”
Despite the noise, Pettis defeated Freire (35-6 MMA, 23-6 BMMA) via unanimous decision. For the first time since the injury, Pettis has stability and clarity on his career path. He’ll fight interim bantamweight champion Patchy Mix next at a date and location to-be-announced.
“It’s awesome, man. My career is all lined up right now. Last year, I had no goals, no nothing set up for me – just recovery. To come back and be successful and have Patchy Mix next, I have some hitters at me over here at Bellator.”
“It’s been 18 months off and come back and have a performance like that,” Pettis said. “I didn’t get to watch it yet, but in my head it looked kind of good so I hope it looked good for everybody else.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Bellator 297.