UFC 225: Will Joseph Benavidez be scared to strike with ‘boogeyman’ Sergio Pettis?

Training at RoufusSport alongside big brother Anthony Pettis for his entire combat sports career, Sergio Pettis has polished his stand-up game which has earned him a reputation of one of the best strikers in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight division.

Up next for Sergio is a 125-pound showdown against former title contender Joseph Benavidez, which is set to go down at UFC 225 on June 9, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. For Sergio, it’s a chance to get back on track after having his four-fight win streak snapped by Henry Cejudo at UFC 218. Despite the discrepancy in experience, Pettis is confident he has what it takes to get one over on his opponent.

“We match up very well. He’s going to push the pace. I’m going to be out there trying to win. I think it’s going to be an interesting fight for both of us,” he said in an interview with Flo Combat.

And while “The Phenom” prefers to stand-and-bang, he finds himself having to spend more time on the mat than he would prefer, as his opponents constantly look for the takedown to avoid getting lit up.

“I think I match up pretty well against him. I think he’s going to feel a little bit uncomfortable,” he said. “I make these guys feel uncomfortable to where they have to get me down on the floor. That fight with Cejudo kind of made me realize that. I am kind of a boogeyman. People are scared of me and they got to take me down to beat me.”

Confident.

The fight will be the first for Benavidez since December of 2016 after a knee injury kept him sidelined for the last year. Still, “Joe B-Wan Kenobi” is riding a six-fight win streak and has championship dreams in sight should he collect his seventh in a row.

Can he get it done? Or will the boogeyman spoil the party?