Sergio Pettis moving up to bantamweight following UFC 229 loss, hopes to get on UFC on Fox 31

Sergio Pettis was one of the top flyweight prospects and considered a future title challenger. Was is the keyword. Pettis took on Jussier Formiga at UFC 229, where Formiga simply dominated the fight. Pettis lost by unanimous decision.

The younger Pettis brother was looking like a real title contender at flyweight where he has wins over Joseph Benavidez and Brandon Moreno. However, Pettis but does have a loss to the current champion Henry Cejudo which could impact his title chances.

Ultimately, the weight cut may have been a tough one for Pettis at UFC 229. His head coach Duke Roufus made the announcement official to his Instagram account earlier today.

“I am happy to announce my man @sergiopettis is returning to the Bantamweight Division. Sergio debuted in the @ufc at UFC 167 on the 20th Anniversary Of the UFC Card at age 20 years old at 135lbs. As a Bantamweight, he went 3-1 and won both of his UFC Bonuses. We feel he is gonna be stronger and more explosive at this Division. We have reached out to the UFC Brass to have Sergio fight on the UFC Card in #milwaukee December 15. He is injury free from his fight at #ufc229 and resumes training today. Thank You Very Much for all of the Support #teampettis #roufusport #routangclan “We Grind Together, We Shine Together” #martialarts is #life #ufc #ufcmilwaukee #mma #fight #fighter #fighting #hardwork #dedication #fun #happy #training #lifestyle #positivevibes #spreadingpositivity #sergiopettis notice Sergio’s Body at 135 at #ufc181″

Fighting in Milwaukee seems like a reasonable goal for Pettis who will now be looking to make his run at bantamweight.

Pettis started his professional career off at bantamweight where he won the inaugural RFA bantamweight belt. The move could come as a benefit to Pettis as many fighters have moved up weight classes and had success.

Who would you like to see Pettis fight in his return to bantamweight?

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 10/9/2018