Preview: Bellator 238 ‘Budd vs. Cyborg’

Sergio Pettis vs. Alfred Khashakyan

After 14 fights in the UFC, Pettis takes his talents over to the promotion’s main competitor, Bellator. Sergio Pettis has a much different style than his elder brother, Anthony, as he relies more on technique than athleticism. “The Phenom” switches stance between orthodox and southpaw to keep his opponent guessing and so they struggle to pick up his timing. The 26-year-old can be a bit of a plodding point fighter, attacking with single strikes at a time. Everything he does comes off his jab, which he usually uses as a range finder. He makes the mistake of standing straight up and turning his chin into a big target, leaving it high in the air. He does well at not being dragged into brawls, as he lacks big power to win such battles. One of the best aspects of the Milwaukee fighter’s game is his high kick, which he looks for off of his jab. The Roufusport team member has been taken down in several fights in the past but he does well to scramble back to his feet. He isn’t nearly the submission threat that his brother is, with no submission wins in nearly eight years. Pettis will be forced to move back up to bantamweight from flyweight, where he has had mixed results. In his last journey to 135 pounds, he struggled with the length and power of his opponent, Rob Font. He was even outmuscled by Font in the wrestling, something for which the New Englander is not known. Pettis has shown a lack of finishing ability recently, with his last nine fights going the distance. He was, however, able to defeat the likes of Joseph Benavidez, Brandon Moreno and John Moraga during that stretch.

Khashakyan is best known for being the man that was brutally knocked out by Sean O'Malley on the first season of the Dana White’s Contender Series and for being submitted by Ricardo Ramos on Dana White’s Lookin’ For a Fight. Those loses appear to be small bumps in the road, though, as the Armenian-born fighter — who now calls California his home — enters the bout in the midst of three straight first round knockout victories. This isn’t a new trend for him, as he has eight career first round KO/TKO wins. He hasn’t just fed off low level fodder, either, with two of those knockouts coming against UFC veterans Chris Beal and Albert Morales. The Light’s Out Xtreme Fighting featherweight champion is an aggressive striker who looks to end fights with every blow. He moves forward with a jab and follows up powerful combinations. His left hook and overhand right are his two favorite strikes. He does well to target the body and work a dirty boxing game from the clinch. He can be a bit overconfident in his attack, which has resulted in him sometimes running into his opponent’s strikes. Similar to Pettis, he leaves his chin up in the air, and he makes matters worse not having much in the way of head movement. “Fearless” does do well keeping his hands glued to the sides of his face for some defense. The 31-year-old will look to wrestle so he can get on top and unload heavy ground and pound, although he does have the tendency of shooting his drop-step entries from too far out of range. The Glendale Fight Club team member has also struggled to make the bantamweight limit in the past, so the weigh-ins could be a little interesting.

Many people will be looking at this fight as a warm-up bout for Pettis before he faces the top names in the Bellator bantamweight division, but I am not one of those people. Khashakyan is a true test for Pettis in his organizational debut. Pettis has an advantage in speed, technique and high-level experience, but he will be the smaller and less powerful fighter. Everything in my brain says that Pettis should win, but I am calling the major upset. I might regret this, but give me Khashakyan by first-round TKO.

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