A potential number one contender’s bout is being targeted for UFC 229, as the promotion looks to match up Sergio Pettis and Jussier Formiga.
Just in case the anticipated super-fight between Demetrious Johnson and T.J. Dillashaw doesn’t come to fruition (i.e. Dillashaw loses this Saturday at UFC 227), the UFC is putting together a potential number one contender’s bout at flyweight. Hot off arguably the biggest win of his career, a decision (albeit split) over Joseph Benavidez at UFC 225, Sergio Pettis is being booked into a key match-up with Jussier Formier. The bout is expected to take place at UFC 229 this October. ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was first to report the news.
The pair remain some of the few names not yet bested by flyweight and pound-for-pound great Johnson. For Formiga (21–5), the fight will offer the chance to make it three in a row, following wins over Ben Nguyen and Ulka Sasaki. Prior to that, he’d lost a unanimous decision to Ray Borg. The 33-year old Formiga picked up a Performance of the Night bonus last time out, when he submitted Nguyen via rear-naked choke.
The younger Pettis brother, meanwhile, is 5-1 in his last six fights. Sergio Pettis (17–3) saw his only loss in that span at the hands of current title challenger Henry Cejudo. The Formiga fight could offer another shot at Johnson, depending on how the rest of the division plays out — if the UFC opts not to go the super-fight direction.
UFC 229 takes place October 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. No main event has been officially announced for the card, although there’s a strong possibility this guy may be involved.
