Sergio Pettis expects his reach to help dictate pace, range against Kyoji Horiguchi at Bellator 272

Although Kyoji Horiguchi has knockout power, Sergio Pettis sees himself having the advantage in the standup.

Pettis (21-5 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) makes his first bantamweight title defense against former champion Horiguchi (29-3 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) in Friday’s Bellator 272 main event, which takes place at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and airs on Showtime.

When asked if he’ll look to use his jiu-jitsu blackbelt skills against Horiguchi, Pettis said he’s more than comfortable to stand and trade.

“Personally, I feel like my strong point is my standup,” Pettis said during Wednesday’s media day. “Wherever it goes, I’m going to be ready. But I think my reach and my striking is gonna be the beneficiary of this fight where I could take advantage of that and really go out there and really dictate the pace and the range. I don’t waste any motion or emotions out there, so I’m excited.”

During both his flyweight and bantamweight tenure in the UFC, Pettis has fought some stiff competition ranging from former champions to perennial contenders. When asked where Rizin FF and former Bellator bantamweight title holder Horiguchi stacks up in comparison, Pettis ranked him highly.

“I think he’d be top three currently,” Pettis said. “It would probably be Rob Font, (Henry) Cejudo and definitely Horiguchi. But I haven’t fought him yet, so I mean, so that’s just how I rank him right now. So once I go out there and feel him, I’ll be able to truly rank him and all the tough people that I’ve fought.”

Watch the highlights of Pettis’ media day interview in the video above.