Big news broke late last night in the MMA world as Evy Rodrigues of Brazilian new outlet Globo.com confirmed that Sergio Pettis, the younger brother of UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, has signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and he will make his debut as a bantamweight at UFC 167. A debut opponent for Pettis has yet to be named, but expect that to be known soon. This is awesome news for fans of the sport as Pettis is one of the hottest prospects in town, although I was hoping for him to arrive as a flyweight and not a bantamweight; however, the weight cut to make 125 must be too difficult and that’s why he’s going to fight at 135 in the UFC. Still, had he signed as a flyweight the road to a title shot would have been a lot shorter. At 135, there are fighters like Urijah Faber and Michael McDonald who are closing in on another crack at the title. But at 125, there’s only Joseph Benavidez and then the rest of the division tapers off pretty quickly. However, Pettis’ trainer Duke Roufus must feel that his pupil is a better fit at 135, and, after coaching the older Pettis to a title, the younger Pettis can’t go against Roufus’ advice, if he is indeed the main reason little Pettis will fight at 125. As for his first opponent, I’d like to see Pettis fight either Alex Caceres or Yves Jabouin. I know both of those fighters have way more experience in the UFC and actual wins inside the Octagon, but I really see the UFC trying to push Pettis up the ladder quickly and a win over either of those fighters I just mentioned would surely lead him closer to his goal of wearing a UFC belt. Plus, those are both fun fights. But we’ll see what the UFC has lined up for him. UFC Signs “Pitbull” Correia The UFC has added another female fighter to the roster as TATAME.com reported yesterday Bethe “Pitbull” Correria has signed a contract with the promotion and will soon make her debut in the women’s bantamweight division. I admit I don’t know much about Correia but she is so far 6-0 in her young career and if Sean Shelby, the UFC matchmaker, likes her, then I guarantee you she has talent. And the fact she trains with the Bellator Pitbull brothers is also a huge boost, in my opinion. The reason the UFC signed her must be her recent win over Erica Paes, who is the only woman to ever defeat Cris Cyborg in MMA. That’s a huge win for Correia’s resume, and it’s likely what got her a UFC contract. I’m looking forward to Correia’s Octagon debut and I hope the UFC continues to sign more women to the roster in the coming weeks and months.
