The North American Fighting Championship (NAFC) today announced the main event for its next electrifying fight event, "Battleground," which takes place Friday, March 29, 2013 inside the newly remodeled Potawatomi Bingo Casino-Expo Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Originally, the main event was to feature Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Marcus LeVesseur, who unfortunately suffered an injury in training and had to withdraw. Replacing LeVesseur will be Roufusport's Sergio Pettis, brother of UFC star Anthony "Showtime" Pettis.
The homegrown rising star was scheduled to face Matt Manzanares in the RFA on March 22nd, but Manzanares was forced out with an injury, leaving Pettis without an opponent. The RFA was gracious enough to allow "The Phenom" to return home to Milwaukee for this bout in the NAFC, where he will take on experienced striker Josh Robinson.
Two additional bouts have been announced for "Battleground," as well.
In the co-main event of the evening, Jose Pacheco from Adrian Serrano’s Combat Gym will take on Unified MMA’s "Captain" Morgan Sickenger of Manitowoc, Wisconsin in a highly-anticipated encounter between two local crowd favorites.
"We are extremely grateful to Ed Soares and the RFA for allowing Sergio to step up and take the main event slot on our NAFC card in his own hometown," said NAFC partner and promoter Scott Joffe. "Sergio is a great, up-and-coming young fighter, and his many fans in Milwaukee love watching him compete. He’s definitely got a tough battle on his hands with Josh Robinson, and I expect nothing but non-stop fireworks between the two!"
A solid kickboxer with a developing ground game, the 19 year-old Pettis (6-0) has experienced a fast start to his career, winning all six of his professional MMA fights. He’s won two fights by TKO, two by submission and two by decision, giving him a good amount of well-rounded experience at such a young age.
Now, he’ll put his undefeated record on the line against Robinson, who beat "The Phenom's" teammate Dustin Ortiz by split-decision last year in the NAFC.
"I'm extremely grateful the RFA has given me an opportunity to fight outside of the organization," explained Pettis. "I trained really hard for Matt Manzanares and cut a lot of weight, but, unfortunately, he got injured. So this was a blessing to get a fight in my hometown once again. Thank you, RFA!"
Regarding Robinson, Pettis said, "I saw him fight my teammate Dustin. He is very active and explosive … it'll be an interesting fight. I'm excited to showcase my skills in front of my hometown once again, and Robinson better be ready, because I’m bringing my A game. And to the fans…they can expect to see greatness on the 29th."
Josh "Shortstack" Robinson (7-6) is a tough-as-nails scrapper who has already made a name for himself in Wisconsin for his victory over Ortiz. He now has the opportunity to really make a splash in the MMA world with his bout against Sergio Pettis and he feels more than ready.
"To me, the name Pettis is only the name of the guy in front of me," stated Robinson. "His last name doesn't make him any better a fighter than my name makes me. It’s just that: a name he happens to share with his family. I have already shown the Wisconsin fans that I have world class stand up, and we all know Sergio does too. But I'm coming in a new fighter, a new person, and a new man. I have tons of respect for Sergio, but also feel he had never faced an opponent like me. I'm not afraid of a name or a gym."
To Sergio, Josh has a message: "My message to him is this: good luck, Sergio. No disrespect, but I have to end this fight with a statement. I have had a bad couple fights in a row, and that madness has made me more dangerous than an undefeated fighter. See you on the 29th!"
The full "Battleground" fight card will be released shortly. Stay tuned to http://www.NAFC.tv/ for the latest information.
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