Leandro Higo wants to welcome Sergio Pettis to Bellator

Former Bellator bantamweight contender Leandro Higo wants to be the one to meet Sergio Pettis in his promotional debut.

The younger brother of former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis decided to part ways with the UFC after a 14-fight run inside the Octagon to join Bellator, and Higo, who recently signed a new multi-fight deal with the company, is campaigning for the match.

“I would like to welcome Sergio Pettis to Bellator,” Higo told MMA Fighting. “Nothing against him, he’s just a big name that’s coming from the UFC.”

Higo (19-5) is coming off a submission win over Shawn Bunch in September, bouncing from defeats to Darrion Caldwell and Aaron Pico. Pettis (18-5), who holds wins over names like Joseph Benavidez and Brandon Moreno in the UFC, recently won a decision against Tyson Nam.

“It would be a good fight because not only he’s a big name, he’s also a great fighter,” Higo said. “He’s a versatile fighter. He likes to throw kicks, has good jiu-jitsu. He’s a high-level fighter and training for him would make a better athlete. He’s a skilled fighter, a good match-up. He’s not one of those fighters that lay back and not engage, so that would make this a great fight.”

A former LFA bantamweight champion, Higo has shared the Bellator cage with some of the best names the company has to offer, including Eduardo Dantas and Joe Taimanglo, and is only interested in facing the top echelon of the division.

“I’ve been fighting the best for a long time,” Higo said. “I fought the champions and the contenders and just beat Shawn Bunch, who isn’t very well known in MMA but is very popular in the wrestling world. I only want to fight big fights now.”