Issue 157

August 2017

How training in a family atmosphere has helped Sergio Pettis flourish as a fighter

Q. How influential has your big brother Anthony been in your development as a mixed martial artist?

Sergio Pettis: "I love training with him. We have that brotherly love where we hit each other a lot harder than we hit everyone else. We have a good time with it. Family is first with us, and we want to be the first brothers to hold UFC belts at the same time."

Q. Would you say you’re more of a technician, compared to his use of flashy moves?

Sergio Pettis: "We definitely have different styles. Anthony goes out there and throws whatever he wants to throw, whereas I stay more technical. I still have the flash and stuff, and it will show in time. I feel a lot more confident fighting now so I am more confident throwing some of that stuff. They say flash is trash without the basics, and I have my basic game down so I’m ready to throw some flashy stuff. I will let loose and entertain the fans and entertain myself. I want people to know me as a martial artist who has the flash along with the basics."

Q. What is the one move or technique that you land regularly in the gym that you are dying to try in a fight?

Sergio Pettis: "There are a lot of moves that I think if I ever land in a fight, it will be awesome. One of the moves I have been throwing lately is the cartwheel kick. Anthony used it against Donald Cerrone and Benson Henderson, and I have been using it a lot lately, so who knows? It might come out."

Q. How important is it to have the support of your family when you fight?

Sergio Pettis: "Whenever we fight in Milwaukee, the place is filled with our family members. Our family is huge. They are supportive and have always backed us. It’s great having that support, and it’s always nice to have so many people there cheering for you. My mom supports us, but she always tells us we are too handsome to fight. She says we should be models or something."

Q. How important has Duke Roufus been in your development?

Sergio Pettis: "Duke is awesome, especially as I have been trained by him since I was 13. When he says something, I throw it immediately. It’s like second nature now."

Q. What was it like to start your career so young and have it play out in the spotlight?

Sergio Pettis: "At first, it felt like a lot of pressure, especially coming right out of high school and making my professional debut. People were already talking about me because of my last name. It was a lot of pressure in that sense. Now after fighting for a while, I don’t see it as pressure – I see it as a positive."

Q. What do you remember about fighting grown men as a teenager?

Sergio Pettis: "In my first professional fight, the guy got me down early. I was a little panicky at first as it was the first time I was fighting a grown man. Duke was telling me to calm down, that I train with people better than him. He always gives me the right advice."

Q. What is the most memorable training session you’ve had at Roufusport?

Sergio Pettis: "There are a bunch of stories – we aren’t a bland gym. We train hard but we have our laughs, too. I remember the first time I ever did a gauntlet. It was leading up to my first amateur fight and at that time, we had all these big heavyweights here. I was a 15-year-old and I was in a gauntlet with Pat Barry, Ben Rothwell and all these big guys. Everybody was having a laugh at me when I would get the wind knocked out of me. It was pretty much like getting jumped by a gang – at least that’s what it felt like."