Scouting Report: Sergio Pettis

Sergio Pettis

Born: Aug. 18, 1993 (Age: 29) in Milwaukee
Division: Bantamweight
Height: 5’6”
Reach: 69”
Record: 22-5 (5-0 Bellator)
Association: Roufusport
Stage of Career: Prime

Summary: Pettis’ approach to MMA is shockingly simple yet incredibly difficult to beat. He features one of the best jabs in the history of the sport and hits opponents over and over again with it, occasionally adding an excellent right cross and great leg kicks behind it. That about sums it all up, and yet, due to Pettis’ superb defensive reactions, footwork and seemingly endless cardio, he can out-jab and outstrike practically anyone he confronts. Pettis barely slows down over five rounds, and taking him down is difficult, as is keeping him there. He may be improving, too, showing new wrinkles to his striking and greater power in recent outings.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Well above average.
• Jab: Sudden, fast and textbook. Belongs in the conversation with the all-time greats.
• Cross: Features every quality one could want, save for power. Fast, sudden, accurate and technical.
• Left Hook: Thrown with tight arc and plenty of rotation, on top of his normal speed and suddenness. However, Pettis rarely uses it, which seems like a waste.
• Overhand Right: Keeps it sheathed.
• Uppercuts: Practically never throws them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Pettis either throws the jab by itself or as part of a one-two but rarely offers more.
• Favorite Combination(s): The one-two—a wonderfully harmonious sequence spearheaded by one of the best jabs in the sport and an excellent cross that lacks only power.
• Leg Kicks: Fast and sudden, with decent power. A definite weapon.
• Body Kicks: Feature similar properties to those he fires to the legs, but he uses them sparingly.
• Head Kicks: A fast, sudden and dynamic strike with plenty of flexibility. He used it to set up the spinning backfist that knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.

Pettis has naturally fast hands and absolutely textbook technique. Everything starts with an incredible jab, which sometimes appears to be magnetized to an opponent’s face. It is practically unavoidable thanks to its ridiculous suddenness, allowing him to score again and again. Pettis also throws a capable right cross behind it, which lacks power but is virtually perfect in terms of every other variable. Furthermore, he utilizes outstanding leg kicks that are every bit as fast as his hands and offer considerably more impact. When combined with Pettis’ movement and defensive instincts, such traits make it almost impossible for someone to win a technical striking match with him.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: Decent, though some of the larger fighters in the division definitely have an advantage over him.
• Technique: Never out of position and has mastered all of the basic techniques and how to defend them.
• Knees: Offer nice accuracy and technique, but he rarely uses them, choosing instead to seek separation.
• Elbows: Does not throw them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: A capable blocker who can frame off and gain separation against opponents who become too fixated on striking.

Pettis always looks to strike at range, but he has proven difficult to crack in the clinch. He often manages to get away by framing off, and he otherwise manages to prevent damage and most takedowns.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Avoids doing so offensively.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Avoids doing so offensively.
• Takedown Defense: He features a dependable sprawl with which he angles off well. However, he can sometimes be slow to react to a change from striking to grappling.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Outstanding. He can wall walk and hip escape, using his athleticism and flawless technique.
• Submissions: Limited thus far. He finished Alfred Khashakyan with a guillotine choke after hurting him with strikes, but he prefers to engage in the standup department.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: While he offers almost nothing in regards to submissions from his back, he has proven agile enough to limit damage from ground-and-pound.
• Top control: Virtually non-existent. Opponents get back up easily against Pettis.
• Ground-and-Pound: Limited. Opponents have managed to tie him up from the bottom with surprising ease.

Pettis is almost exclusively defensive with his grappling. Even when he finds himself in top position, he struggles to connect with clean ground-and-pound. However, he has proven to be a difficult nut to crack whenever the action spills onto the mat. His sound takedown defense features terrific balance and an inane ability to angle off. Pettis also excels at getting back to his feet whenever he gets taken down. He limits the effectiveness of his opponents’ ground-and-pound but because he presents no threat from a submission standpoint, he often winds up losing rounds, as he did against Horiguchi. Even so, that is a difficult gameplan for anyone to implement for 25 straight minutes.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Impressive in terms of agility and dynamism, but Pettis is not especially powerful.
• Cardio: He can compete at a brisk pace for all 25 minutes, no matter how much grappling is involved.
• Chin: Pettis has faced some powerful punches and managed to take some flush punches well. He suffered his only knockout loss in 2015, when he was still a 21-year-old prospect and competing at 125 pounds.
• Recuperative Powers: Stellar. Even when he appears to be hurt, the effects do not last for long.
• Intelligence: Pettis adheres to a highly disciplined, cerebral form of fighting that can only work with sound preparation and wise tactical decision making. He can make amazing adjustments on the fly even when everything seems to be going wrong, as was the case in his brilliant setup for the Horiguchi knockout.