Sergio Pettis made a statement at Bellator 272.
The reigning bantamweight champion finished former titleholder Kyoji Horiguchi in the main event. The card aired live on Showtime.
In his first title defense, Pettis looked the part. He landed with authority to knock Horiguchi out.
“I came out here and got beaten up for four rounds. When it happened, I was just like, ‘Man I am losing this fight. I’ve got to do something spectacular.’ It (the decisive punch that ended the fight) came at the right time.”
With the win, he improved to 22-5 in his career.
“I needed to face some adversity, and tonight Horiguchi gave me all of that. It was hard trying to time his rhythm, trying to get his movement down,” Pettis said.
“My coaches always tell me, ‘If you open up, you could be one of the best in the world.’ That what I’m pushing for.”
In the co-main event, Jimmy Kennedy earned a decision victory over Emmanuel Sanchez. The win was the biggest in the career of Kennedy, as he knocked off the fourth-ranked Sanchez via decision.
C-Sergio Pettis (22-5) defeated Kyoji Horiguchi (29-4) via KO (spinning backfist) at 3:24 of round four
#9-Jeremy Kennedy (17-3, 1 NC) defeated #4-Emmanuel Sanchez (20-7) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
#7-Josh Hill (21-4) defeated Jared Scoggins (10-2) via KO (punch) at :56 of round two
#5-Johnny Eblen (10-0) defeated Collin Huckbody (10-4) via TKO (punches) at 1:11 of round one
Alexander Shabliy (21-3) defeated Bobby King (10-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Kai Kamaka III (9-4-1) defeated John de Jesus (14-10) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Levan Chokheli (10-1, 1 NC) defeated Vinicius de Jesus (9-5) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Justin Montalvo (4-0) defeated Jacob Bohn (10-8) via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Mike Hamel (8-5) defeated Killys Mota (12-3) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Spike Carlyle (13-3) defeated Dan Moret (15-7) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:58 of round three
Kyle Crutchmer (8-1) defeated #10-Oliver Enkamp (10-3) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
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