The newly crowned Bellator MMA bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis returns to the cage for his first title defense.
Read on for our complete betting guide taking a first look at the Bellator 272 main event between Sergio Pettis and Kyoji Horiguchi, including updated Bellator odds and our free expert Bellator MMA betting picks, predictions, and analysis.
Sergio Pettis vs. Kyoji Horiguchi
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Championship Main Event
Friday, December 3, 2021 – 11:58 PM at Mohegan Sun Arena
Sergio Pettis (21-5-0)
Since departing from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), Sergio Pettis has found massive success in a three-fight win streak and capturing the Bellator bantamweight championship.
As the younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, Sergio has often struggled to fight outside his brother’s shadow. However, fortunes for the young 28-year-old have taken a turn for the better, and the product of Roufusport MMA in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will continue to elevate his uptrend against a fierce challenger next week.
Kyoji Horiguchi will undoubtedly be the most significant opposition Pettis has faced since leaving the UFC.
Still, the argument remains that the champion has yet to reach his prime fighting years, making the underdog champion a significant value play at plus money.
Sergio Pettis Best Available Odds: To Win ML (+165) at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Kyoji Horiguchi (29-3-0)
Kyoji Horiguchi has marked his territory as Japan’s most stand-out martial artist for the past eleven years. Competing for multiple well-known organizations, traveling the world has positioned Horiguchi to become the first bantamweight champion for two organizations simultaneously.
As the current RIZIN bantamweight champion, Horiguchi’s new contract with Bellator allows him to compete for both promotions. Success over Pettis will not only see Horiguchi collect the Bellator bantamweight title for a second time, but he’ll hold championships for both RIZIN and Bellator.
Success in the UFC, championship titles in Shooto, RIZIN, and Bellator, and a 29-3 professional record will certainly provide stiff competition for the current Bellator champ.
Kyoji Horiguchi Best Available Odds: To Win ML (-180) at Heritage Sports (visit our Heritage Sports)
Horiguchi Fight Style and How Can Horiguchi Beat Pettis?
Horiguchi is a world-recognized Shotokan Karate specialist, so his punching and kicking offense is naturally supported with 15 career knockout victories. The power, technique, and viciousness of Horiguchi’s striking output will be the highlighted attributes that Pettis will want to avoid.
The experience and finishing ability of Horiguchi will be his most substantial assets. Across a twenty-five-minute bout, I’d expect a Horiguchi win inside the distance or bust scenario.
Pettis Fight Style & How Can Pettis Beat Horiguchi?
Sergio Pettis is also impressive on the feet, but it’s the champ’s output and point fighting ability that’s garnered the majority of his pro-MMA success.
Horiguchi is throwing up multiple red flags, including a 15-month layoff to return and face an active competitor in Pettis. In addition, Horiguchi’s last loss came in 2019 to Kai Asakura, a martial artist who owned minimal experience and had never fought outside of RIZIN.
The path to victory for Pettis is simple, make use of his size advantage, stay on the outside, pop his jab and offensive combinations to tame the aggressive and assertive nature of Horiguchi.
Betting Picks and Bellator 272 Odds
The available odds at Bookmakers Review opened with Pettis as a considerable underdog is surprising. On the outside, sure, Horiguchi’s record looks impressive, but the bantamweight champion is no slouch, and these odds are suggesting he doesn’t stand much chance.
It’s impossible to ignore this Bellator betting value, especially when we haven’t seen Horiguchi for 15-months, and to add; he’s fought in one contest that reached the 5th round – an armbar loss to Demetrious Johnson.
For our Bellator pick, I can envision Pettis remaining calm, weathering the storm, and proving his durability is enough to handle the Japanese star.
Bellator Pick: Sergio Pettis to Win ML (+165) [1u returns 1.65u] at Bovada
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
