Mitch McKee made a big splash in his PFL debut Saturday, remaining undefeated with a smothering domination of former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis in the bantamweight main event of PFL Chicago.
McKee (11-0), who had fought mainly in the LFA developmental promotion since turning professional in 2021, took control of Pettis from the start and never allowed him an opportunity to show off his flashy stand-up skills. The 2019 All-American wrestler at the University of Minnesota scored a takedown 40 seconds into the fight and kept Pettis trapped on the canvas for the rest of the five minutes.
Rounds 2 and 3 played out much the same, although Pettis did twice threaten with triangle chokes from his back in the middle round, prompting all three judges to score that round for him. But the 29-28, 29-28 and 29-28 scores in McKee's favor secured the promotional newcomer the clear victory.
"I just stuck to the game plan, stuck to the game plan, even when things kind of went to s--- there in the middle," McKee said.
Coming in on the short end of an experience gap, with Pettis having fought as a pro three times more than him, McKee made relentless top control his great equalizer. He went 4-for-4 on takedowns and kept Pettis on the canvas, where he piled up a 73-8 advantage in ground strikes. It was one-way traffic for the better part of three rounds.
Pettis (25-8) was fighting on familiar turf in Chicago but nonetheless had to navigate unfamiliar territory. He grew up and still lives 90 miles away in Milwaukee and had competed five previous times in Chicago, including in three of his past five fights. In all of those appearances and every other fight in his career, he was cornered by Duke Roufus, his coach since he was a teenager. However, Roufus died unexpectedly at age 55 in October. This was Pettis' first fight without Roufus, and Pettis wore fight shorts with "ROUFUS" emblazoned across the back.
The PFL bantamweight title is vacant, and Saturday's card turned the top of the promotion's 135-pound rankings upside down. Pettis came into the main event at No. 1 in the top 10, with McKee unranked. No. 2 in the division was Raufeon Stots (21-4), who lost a tight unanimous decision to sixth-ranked Renat Khavalov (12-0) in the co-main event.
Might those results set up a battle of undefeateds for the belt?
McKee expressed no opinion on whether Khavalov is bound for a title shot, but he believes that he, after just one PFL appearance, earned an opportunity for gold himself.
"I think I deserve a title shot later this year," he said. "I don't care who it is [against]. But I'm coming for the rest of the division."