Sergio Pettis pulled off one of the craziest comebacks in recent memory when he knocked out Kyoji Horiguchi in tonight’s Bellator 272 main event.

Pettis (21-5 MMA) was looking to earn his first career title defense when he took on former champion Horiguchi (29-3 MMA) this evening.

‘SP’ had captured the promotions bantamweight world title this past May in Connecticut, scoring a unanimous decision victory over Juan Archuleta. That win marked his fourth in a row, with three of those victories coming under the Bellator banner.

Meanwhile, Kyoji Horiguchi entered tonight’s title fight with Sergio Pettis looking to reclaim the title he never actually lost. The RIZIN standout had last competed in December of 2020, where he earned a stunning TKO victory over Kai Asakura.

Tonight’s Bellator 272 main event ended in spectacular fashion. After seemingly cruising through the opening three rounds of the fight, Horiguchi got caught by a Pettis backfist in round four that sent his title aspirations to a crashing halt. As seen below, Sergio Pettis knocked that Japanese standout out cold with the wild strike.

😱 @SergioPettis turns the tide with a spinning back fist KO out of NOWHERE!

👑The Bantamweight champ retains in spectacular fashion LIVE on @SHOsports. #Bellator272 pic.twitter.com/2KEQPRrlIR

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 4, 2021

Slow motion footage:

.@sergiopettis OUTTA NOWHERE! 😱 😱 😱 😱

What a way to end the 2021 Bellator MMA season LIVE on @SHOsports. #Bellator272 pic.twitter.com/g8Kstu4E3v

— Bellator MMA (@BellatorMMA) December 4, 2021

Official Bellator 272 Result: Sergio Pettis def. Kyoji Horiguchi via KO (spinning backfist) at 3:23 of Round 4

Horiguchi apparently left the cage on a stretcher and was transported to hospital. We will keep you posted on his condition as soon as updates become available.

What did you think of Sergio Pettis’ amazing comeback KO victory over Kyoji Horiguchi this evening in Connecticut? Share your thoughts in the comment section PENN Nation!