Bellator 242 results: Sergio Pettis earns one-sided decision over Ricky Bandejas

Sergio Pettis has been in the public eye since he debuted in the UFC at age 20, billed as a real prospect as the little brother of Anthony Pettis.

Seven years later, Pettis (20-5 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) has matured into a championship contender. A poised and comfortable Pettis cruised to victory in his first Bellator main event on Friday night, earning a unanimous decision over Ricky Bandejas in the featured bout of Bellator 242. The judges’ scores were 30-27 across the board.

With the victory, Pettis is expected to get the winner of an upcoming fight between Juan Archuleta and Patchy Mix to fill the company’s vacant bantamweight title, which will be held at a date and location to be determined.

Pettis implemented his game plan from the outset. He stalked down Bandejas (13-4 MMA, 3-3 BMMA), cut off his angles, and peppered Bandejas was a solid mix of punches and kicks.

This routine repeated in the second round. Pettis’ punishing low kicks began to add up, as Bandejas’ lead leg noticeably swelled up and affected his timing. Bandejas was never able to sustain any offensive momentum, with Pettis using deft footwork to dodge the rare occasions Bandejas pushed forward.

In the third, Bandejas seemed to sense he was down on the scorecards. He landed more often than in the first two rounds, but despite that, never came close to turning the tide, as Pettis otherwise stuck to the game plan and shut things down.

The victory, Pettis’ third in a row, was his 13th career decision win. Bandejas had a two-fight win streak snapped and has dropped three of his past five.

The bantamweight fight was the main event of Bellator 242, which took place Friday at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on Paramount following prelims on YouTube.

Complete Bellator 242 results:

• Sergio Pettis def. Ricky Bandejas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jason Jackson def. Jordan Mein via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jay Jay Wilson def. Tywan Claxton via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 30-27)
• Aaron Pico def. Solo Hatley Jr. via submission (rear-naked choke) — Round 1, 2:10
• Mark Lemminger def. Jake Smith via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:46
• Raufeon Stots def. Cass Bell via submission (rear-naked choke – Round 3, 1:24
• Ras Hylton def. Rudy Schaffroth via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)