Bellator 297 Co-Main Event Breakdown

Wintrust Arena in Chicago is the site for Friday night"s card. Live coverage of Bellator 297 begins at 6 pm ET/ 3 pm PT on YouTube. Main card action follows at 9 pm ET/ 6 pm PT on Showtime.

All told, barring any postponements between now and then, Bellator 297 features 15 fights. Highlighting the night is a championship doubleheader.

Bantamweight Supremacy at Stake in Bellator 297 Co-Main Event

To begin the title fight twin-bill, the battle for the Bellator MMA Bantamweight Championship serves as the focus for the Bellator 297 co-main event. Current champion Sergio Pettis (22-5 MMA, 4-0 Bellator) puts his strap on the line when he battles No. 1 pound-for pound contender Patricio Pitbull [a.k.a., Patricio Freire] (35-5 MMA, 23-5 Bellator).

Pettis has a point to prove 👊

Just 2️⃣ days until champ @sergiopettis & @PatricioPitbull face off for bantamweight gold LIVE from the @WintrustArena in Chicago 🇺🇸#Bellator297 LIVE on FRIDAY:
🇺🇸 @SHOsports at 9pm ET/6PM PT
🌍 Find out how to watch ▶️ https://t.co/jPjMHzLhCd pic.twitter.com/juXyCqOZiP

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) June 14, 2023

As always with championship fights, the Bellator 297 co-main event is an advertised maximum of five rounds at five minutes per round. Immediately following the bantamweight title fight, the Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Championship is at stake in the main event.

Incumbent light heavyweight champion Vadim Nemkov (16-2, 1 NC MMA, 8-0, 1 NC Bellator fights No. 3 contender Yoel Romero (15-6 MMA, 2-1 Bellator) in the Bellator 297 main event. More on that fight later on in the week.

Bellator 297 Co-Main Event Fighter Comparison and Betting Odds

Heading into Friday night"s Bellator 297 co-main event, both of these men stand level in height at 5-foot-6. Sergio Pettis owns a 3 1/2-inch reach advantage (69 inches even to 65 1/2 inches) over Patricio Pitbull.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the oddsmakers have Patricio Pitbull installed as a -179 favorite on the money line, with Sergio Pettis countering as a +154 underdog. If you plan on betting on this or any other fight happening this weekend, please wager responsibly.

Sergio Pettis Returns for First Fight Since Withdrawing from Grand Prix

Sergio Pettis enters the Bellator 297 co-main event having posted a perfect 5-0 record in his last five fights. Back in December of 2021, he scored a fourth-round knockout (spinning back fist) of Kyoji Horiguchi (31-5 MMA, 2-2 Bellator) during the Bellator 272 main event.

Afterward, Pettis had been scheduled to fight Raufeon Stots during the opening round of the  Bantamweight World Grand Prix. He was forced to withdraw, however, upon tearing his ACL.

Tuesday, Pettis discussed his return during his media availability.

“I"m blessed to be back here," the champion began. “It"s been 18 months. I"ve learned a lot over the last year, more personal than anything, but I think I"ve done the right things to be ready."

Sergio Pettis has taken the long road to get back to a championship opportunity. Will it pay off with a successful defense? Watch the Bellator 297 co-main event to find out.

Can Pitbull Become a Triple-Champ?

In the other corner, Patricio Pitbull, already the Bellator MMA Featherweight Champion and the onetime Bellator MMA Lightweight Champion, has posted a 3-2 record in his last five bouts. At present, he"s on a three-fight winning streak.

On New Year"s Eve, he scored a unanimous decision victory against Kleber Koike Erbst (31-6-1 MMA) during Bellator vs. Rizin in Japan. Next month, the two promotions will collide again  for Bellator X Rizin 2. 

Much like Pettis, Pitbull also had a press junket on Tuesday, where the topic of becoming the champion in a third division came up.

“I"ve been the champ for many years here at 145 lbs. here in Bellator," Pitbull said. “I went up to 155 lbs., knocked out Michael Chandler and won it, vacated the belt, and Patricky, my brother, won it. Bellator offered me the opportunity to win the 135-lb. belt and I"m grateful for the opportunity. I couldn"t be happier."

A number of competitors have been double-champs in the sport. Having a triple-champ is uncharted territory. Can Pitbull achieve this milestone?

Analysis, Film Study, and Prediction

Stylistically, the Bellator 297 main event looks to favor Sergio Pettis, who owns a 2nd dan black belt in Taekwondo and black belts in Roufusport kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Patricio Pitbull counters as a black belt in BJJ.

Pettis Vicious With Backfists

Sergio Pettis is not afraid to get vicious with his striking attacks. His last fight vs. Horiguchi is proof of that.

During the fourth round, Horiguchi dumped Pettis and kept him down for a while. Later on, Pettis and Horiguchi exchanged punches, with the latter unloading on a jab.

However, Pettis was the aggressor on this night, putting Horiguchi down and out with a spinning backfist upon disengaging from a clinch.

If he can find an opportunity to use his backfist, Sergio Pettis wins the Bellator 297 co-main event easily.

Pitbull Can Wear Pettis Down

In the other corner, look for Patricio Pitbull to try and exhaust Sergio Pettis. During his 2022 victory over AJ McKee,  he varied his offense by mixing in some lead leg kicks with right-handed punches. Pitbull expertly defended a takedown effort and landed a knee to the body in round two.

As Pitbull continued to knock McKee off of his gameplan, he succeeded in cutting off the space of the cage. McKee attempted to take Pitbull down a second time later on in the second round, but again, the latter wanted to keep the fight standing and pepper him with body shots at the end of round two.

If Patricio Pitbull can disrupt Sergio Pettis" gameplan, he can control the pace of the fight. This is his fight to win. All he needs to do is wear him down.

Final Thoughts

This could be one of 2023"s best fights. Two of the top pound-for-pound fighters go at it in the Bellator 297 co-main event, but who wins the day?

Prediction: Patricio Pitbull by Unanimous Decision.