"It's your time now" - Sergio Pettis respectfully passes the torch to Patchy Mix as he parties with girlfriend after title loss at Bellator 301

Sergio Pettis stepped into Bellator 301 with triumph on his mind. He was the promotion's bantamweight champion, and was riding an impressive six-fight win streak, including a recent victory over the legendary Patrício 'Pitbull' Freire. So it stood to reason that he was confident ahead of his title defense against Patchy Mix.

Similar to Pettis, Mix step into the cage with the momentum of a lengthy win streak of his own, consisting of five straight wins. It was Mix's second crack at the bantamweight title, having previously fought for it against Juan Archuleta in a losing effort that remains the only defeat on his record.

At Bellator 301, he would not squander his second title shot, defeating Sergio Pettis via second-round rear-naked choke to capture the bantamweight championship. Despite the loss, Pettis seemed to be in good spirits, taking to his Instagram stories to congratulate Patchy Mix. He wrote:

"Congrats @patchymix, it's your time now"

A screenshot of Sergio Pettis' Instagram story

Furthermore, he posted several clips on his story of him partying with his girlfriend and a group of friends. It is a departure from the manner in which champions usually react to defeats, which is denial or an overpowering desire to secure an immediate title rematch.

However, as Pettis is only 30 years old, he has plenty of time to work his way back into title contention with a win or two, if his priorities are still to recapture the bantamweight championship. Additionally with Cris Cyborg recently squashing rumors of Bellator's demise, Pettis is no longer facing promotional uncertainty.

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Sergio Pettis' more famous brother, Anthony Pettis

Sergio Pettis has always been the lesser-known Pettis brother, due to the heights achieved by Anthony Pettis in his career. 'Showtime' first rose to prominence after ascending to lightweight championship status in the WEC, where he landed the now iconic 'Showtime Kick' on Benson Henderson.

He also managed to capture the UFC lightweight championship, defending it once before his career underwent a massive downswing. No longer in the UFC, Anthony Pettis is currently signed to the PFL, but has struggled to find success, going 1-4 in his first five fights in the promotion, which seems unlikely to change.