Bellator MMA Bantamweight Champ Sergio Pettis to defend his crown for the first time in an international showdown
It’s the most wonderful time of the year as Bellator MMA rings in the holiday season with Bellator Bantamweight World Champion Sergio “The Phenom” Pettis (21-5) defending his belt for the first time in an international clash against former Bellator 135-pound titleholder and current RIZIN champion Kyoji “The Typhoon” Horiguchi (29-3) at Bellator MMA 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi at Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday, December 3rd.
Tickets are $195.00, $100.00, $75.00 and $50.00 and go on sale Friday, October 22nd at 10:00am through Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Tickets will also be available at the Mohegan Sun Box Office beginning Saturday, October 23rd at 10:00am, subject to availability.
Two additional action-packed preliminary matchups have also been announced with a featherweight feature between Hawaii’s Keoni Diggs (9-1) and John “Platano” de Jesus (14-9), as well as a bantamweight battle between “Gentleman” Josh Hill (20-4) and Jared “Psycho” Scoggins (10-1).
SHOWTIME will televise the main card live from Mohegan Sun Arena at 10:00pm. Additionally, the thrilling preliminary fights will stream live on the Bellator MMA YouTube channel, SHOWTIME Sports YouTube channel and Pluto TV beginning at 7:00pm.
“It’s always a special event when you have a champion versus champion fight,” said BELLATOR President Scott Coker. “I’m excited to have Sergio Pettis and Kyoji Horiguchi competing for the BELLATOR World Championship on Dec. 3. Having a strong working relationship with RIZIN has led to many strong fights between our promotions and I foresee this continuing as we look ahead to 2022.”
Pettis captured the Bellator bantamweight crown this past May at Mohegan Sun Arena by outpointing former champion Juan Archuleta in a fast-paced contest at Bellator 258. The younger brother of former UFC champion Anthony Pettis will make his fourth consecutive Bellator MMA appearance and third straight at Mohegan Sun Arena.
Hailing from Takasaki, Japan, the 31-year-old Horiguchi is the reigning RIZIN bantamweight champion who notoriously became a simultaneous, two-promotion champion in 2019 after taking down and upsetting then-Bellator champion Darrion Caldwell at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately, an injury would force Horiguchi to relinquish his Bellator title in November 2019. He now looks to reclaim his belt at Bellator 272.
Additional bouts for Bellator MMA 272: Pettis vs. Horiguchi will be announced in the coming weeks.
BELLATOR MMA 272: PETTIS VS. HORIGUCHI MAIN CARD:
Friday, Dec. 3 – live on SHOWTIME
10 p.m. ET/PT
Bantamweight World Title Bout: Champion-Sergio Pettis (21-5) vs. Kyoji Horiguchi (29-3)
BELLATOR MMA 272: PETTIS VS. HORIGUCHI PRELIMINARY CARD:
Friday, Dec. 3 – live on SHOWTIME
7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT
Bantamweight Bout: Josh Hill (20-4) vs. Jared Scoggins (10-1)
Featherweight bout: Keoni Diggs (9-1) vs. John de Jesus (14-9)
*Card subject to change.
Please visit Bellator.com for additional information.
About BELLATOR
BELLATOR MMA is a leading global mixed martial arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, BELLATOR events take place in major cities worldwide and can be seen on television in over 160 countries to an available audience of over one billion people. In the United States, BELLATOR can be seen on SHOWTIME. BELLATOR is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity, and commission relations. BELLATOR is based in Hollywood, Calif. and owned by entertainment giant ViacomCBS, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
About SHOWTIME
Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI), a wholly owned subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc., owns and operates the premium television networks SHOWTIME®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ and FLIX®, and also offers SHOWTIME ON DEMAND®, THE MOVIE CHANNEL™ ON DEMAND and FLIX ON DEMAND®, and the network’s authentication service SHOWTIME ANYTIME®. Showtime Digital Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of SNI, operates the stand-alone streaming service SHOWTIME®. SHOWTIME is currently available to subscribers via cable, DBS, and telco providers, and as a stand-alone streaming service through Amazon, Apple®, Google, LG Smart TVs, Oculus Go, Roku®, Samsung Smart TVs, Xbox One and PlayStation®4. Consumers can also subscribe to SHOWTIME via Amazon’s Prime Video Channels, Apple TV Channels, AT&T TV Now, FuboTV, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Sling TV, and YouTube TV. Viewers can also watch on computers at Showtime.com. SNI markets and distributes sports and entertainment events for exhibition to subscribers on a pay-per-view basis through SHOWTIME PPV®. For more information, go to www.SHO.com.
About Mohegan Sun Arena
Mohegan Sun Arena is now ranked consistently among the top venues in the world according to Billboard Magazine, Pollstar and VenuesNow. Mohegan Sun Arena is consistently ranked among the top three “Arenas in the World for its Size” and top 15 in the “World for All Size Venues.” The award – winning venue is the “#1 Casino Venue in the World,” “#1 Social Media Venue in the World” and a seven – time national award – winner for “Arena of the Year.” For more information on concerts and other great events, visit Mohegan Sun. For information on this week’s schedule, call the Entertainment and Special Events hotline at 1.888.226.7711.
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