Bellator 272: Sergio Pettis Sends Kyoji Horiguchi Straight To Mat With Wild Spinning Backfist
Just when some may have counted Sergio Pettis out, he came back.
Pettis (22-5) stunned former Bellator and current Rizin champion Kyoji Horiguchi (29-4) in the fourth round via back fist knockout. The two headlined Bellator 272.
“I came out here and got beaten up for four rounds. When it happened, I was just like, ‘Man I am losing this fight,” Pettis said in a statement. “I’ve got to do something spectacular.’ It (the decisive punch that ended the fight) came at the right time.”
😱 @SergioPettis turns the tide with a spinning back fist KO out of NOWHERE!
👑The Bantamweight champ retains in spectacular fashion LIVE on @SHOsports. #Bellator272 pic.twitter.com/2KEQPRrlIR
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) December 4, 2021
Kyle Crutchmer opened the event with a unanimous decision victory against a striker with jiu-jitsu skills, Oliver Enkamp.
Crutchmer is training in the American Kickboxing Academy, and he put his wrestling skills on display. He did 13 takedowns during the fight and defended himself against submission attempts of from the Swedish fighter. Crutchmer won the fight with 30-27.
In the second fight, two former UFC fighters shared the octagon. Spike Carlyle and Dan Moret fought almost all three rounds.
In the first two rounds, Moret almost finished the fight. He landed massive shots and also had tough submission attempts. In both rounds, Carlyle was saved by the bell, but he came back and earned submission victory in the third round.
After the bout, Carlyle wrote on Instagram, “Truly a holy spirit miracle tonight!!! No more eight days notice fights lol.”
😱 Spike Carlyle with one of the biggest comeback wins of 2021!
Tune in to the #Bellator272 prelims, brought to you by @MonsterEnergy & fueled by @sheetz LIVE NOW. ⬇️
🔗 https://t.co/oGpJL8x2l6 pic.twitter.com/CjmnbBGLv8
— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) December 4, 2021
Levan Chokeli proved that he is a worthy contender in the welterweight division after suffering a loss in his debut bout in the Bellator.
In the first round, he almost finished the fight. He landed several combinations, and the Brazilian fighter was bleeding, but the fight continued on the ground after that.
“I had many chances to finish the fight, but it went exactly how I wanted. Also, I wanted to show my wrestling skills,” Chokeli said after.
Another former UFC fighter, Kai Kamaka III, earned a unanimous decision victory against John De Jesus.
Both fighters traded shots in the first two rounds. De Jesus dropped Kamaka in the second round and had the chance, but Kamaka went for the takedown and spent almost the whole round using his ground game.
As it turned out, his purple belt in jiu-jitsu was enough to earn another important victory.
Check out the rest of the results down below:
- Sergio Pettis def Kyoji Horiguchi KO/TKO, 3:24 R4
- Jeremy Kennedy def Emmanuel Sanchez Unanimous Dec
- Josh Hill def Jared Scoggins KO/TKO, 0:56 R2
- Johnny Eblen def Collin Huckbody KO/TKO, 1:11 R1
- Alexander Shabliy def Bobby King Unanimous Dec
- Kai Kamaka III def John De Jesus Unanimous Dec
- Levan Chokheli def Vinicius de Jesus Unanimous Dec
- Justin Montalvo def Jacob Bohn Unanimous Dec
- Mike Hamel def Killys Mota Split Dec
- Spike Carlyle def Dan Moret Sub, 2:58 R3
- Kyle Crutchmer def Oliver Enkamp Unanimous Dec