The winner moves directly into 135-pound title implications as the PFL continues building its division without the tournament format
The Professional Fighters League is crowning bantamweight champions for the first time, and the path starts on April 11 when former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis meets undefeated Minnesota hard-hitter Mitch McKee at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. PFL CEO John Martin broke the news on Thursday, describing the matchup as having “serious title implications” with the winner moving “directly into 135-pound championship contention.” That’s basically saying: this is the fight that determines who gets a shot at the vacant bantamweight belt. For a division that hasn’t crowned its first champion yet, this matchup carries enormous weight. It’s not just a main event. It’s a divisional inflection point that could define the PFL’s entire bantamweight landscape for years.
What’s strategically interesting is that the PFL is transitioning away from its previous tournament format toward traditional matchmaking. That’s a significant shift in how the promotion operates. All five current champions have been crowned within the last seven months, which shows the PFL is actively building its champion roster through conventional fights rather than tournament structures. The bantamweight, featherweight, and women’s flyweight championships remain vacant, giving the PFL multiple opportunities to crown new champions through direct matchmaking rather than tournament complications. Pettis versus McKee represents that new approach.
Sergio Pettis is the obvious title contender in this matchup
The 32-year-old former Bellator champion (25-7) suffered back-to-back losses to Patchy Mix and Kyoji Horiguchi in 2023 and 2024, which temporarily derailed his championship aspirations. But he rebounded powerfully in 2025 with two consecutive victories, including a highlight-reel knockout over Magomed Magomedov in October. That kind of comeback performance positions him as seasoned championship caliber. He’s not just talented. He’s proven he can recover from adversity and deliver spectacular performances. That’s championship-level mentality.
Mitch McKee is the undefeated force that could disrupt Pettis’s narrative
The 28-year-old Minnesota fighter is 10-0 with six knockouts in ten career wins. That’s elite striking power at bantamweight. McKee hasn’t faced elite competition yet his resume is filled with regional opponents but his undefeated record and knockout power make him genuinely dangerous. This is his opportunity to prove he belongs at the elite level by taking out an established former champion.
The dynamic is compelling because both fighters represent different paths to the championship. Pettis has championship experience but needs to prove he’s still elite after recent losses. McKee has momentum and an unblemished record but hasn’t faced legitimate elite competition. Whoever emerges from this matchup will have proven they deserve a title shot more convincingly than simply winning tournaments or securing rankings.
The co-main event features Jordan Newman (8-0) against Josh Silveira (15-5) at middleweight. Newman is following a similar path to McKee undefeated with promising record, but lacking elite-level testing. Silveira, with his 15-5 record, represents the experience challenge. These matchups are the PFL’s strategy: put rising talent against experienced veterans to determine who’s genuinely ready for championship contention.
For the PFL, this approach represents confidence in traditional matchmaking over tournament structures. CEOs John Martin’s comment that the Pettis-McKee winner moves “directly into 135-pound championship contention” suggests the PFL will crown its first bantamweight champion relatively quickly after this fight concludes. That’s different from the old tournament format where you’d need multiple rounds to determine a champion.
The April 11 event in Chicago is less about one night’s fights and more about establishing championship pathways. Pettis and McKee aren’t just competing. They’re determining the direction of the PFL’s entire bantamweight division.
That’s what makes this matchup genuinely significant.
