In a night full of key match-ups, UFC 218 had the chance to produce a new flyweight challenger.
Henry Cejudo had failed in his first shot at flyweight king Demetrious Johnson, but there was no question that he was looking for a second. Opposite him Saturday in Detroit at UFC 218 was Sergio Pettis. The younger Pettis brother had a huge opportunity ahead of him, with the possibility of a title shot against ‘Mighty Mouse’ with a strong performance.
Could he pull it off? Pettis opened things with a kick early, but it wasn’t long before Cejudo did what he does best. The Olympic wrestler took the fight to the ground, easily rolling Pettis onto his back. Pettis was able to defend admirably, but was unable to escape, or really threaten with any submissions. Cejudo controlled the round, but struggled to score damage.
Round two saw a Cejudo body kick answered by a couple of kicks of Pettis’ own. He got off a couple of strikes on the feet, but would later slip, falling back. Cejudo dove into full guard and worked to pass. He’d control on the ground for several minutes, with Pettis hanging on, perhaps hoping for a standup. He wouldn’t get it, but would get up on his own, only to have Cejudo hanging off him. They’d go to a third round with Henry Cejudo firmly in control of the fight.
The third round did not go much better for Sergio Pettis. Despite needing a finish, he was on his back soon enough. Worse, he was unable to stand up despite his corner urging him back to his feet. Finally, with little over a minute to go Pettis made his way back up. He’d throw a high kick, and work his jab, looking for an opening. In the final seconds Pettis shot in for a takedown, not that it would have mattered. Henry Cejudo had already sailed to a one-sided decision.
The only problem – with a rather dull performance, would the UFC want to see Cejudo against Demetrious Johnson again?
Henry Cejudo def. Sergio Pettis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
