Lewis McGrillen reacts to Sergio Pettis withdrawal and predicts knockout at PFL Austin

Lewis McGrillen returns to action at PFL Austin on July 18 after a late change of opponent. The Manchester bantamweight was originally scheduled to face former Bellator champion Sergio Pettis before injury forced the American out, with Rafaeldo Nascimento stepping in on short notice.

Victory over Pettis would have put McGrillen firmly in title contention, making the news of the withdrawal even more disappointing.

The Manchester fighter was originally meant to face Sergio Pettis in the co-main event, but the former Bellator champion pulled out due to injury.

McGrillen recalled the moment he received the unfortunate news.

He said: “I got a bell off my coach and I had a gut feeling.

“Straight away he went, ‘Do you want the good news or bad news?’ Bad news is Sergio Pettis pulled out.

“I was wounded, but it is what it is. I’ve still got a fight and I’m happy with that.”

Despite Pettis withdrawing from the bantamweight bout, 'The McGrizzla' is still interested in a future matchup with the former UFC fighter.

The 25-year-old joked that he first fought Pettis on the UFC video game as a kid, making the prospect of facing him for real feel like life imitating career mode.

McGrillen said: “I would love to fight Sergio Pettis still.

“I remember beating him on UFC career mode when I was a kid, I’m just living my life on career mode.”

Of course, the 25-year-old has had to adjust his preparations for a new opponent.

Nascimento is set to make his PFL debut and has earned credible victories in LFA, including a first-round submission win over current UFC No. 9-ranked bantamweight contender Marcus McGhee, something McGrillen is well aware of.

McGrillen says he was already familiar with Nascimento after watching LFA events online and knows what to expect from the Brazilian submission specialist.

He stated: “I’ve been watching a lot of LFA recently because he’s on live streams and YouTube at night and on the weekend, so I actually was familiar with him to be honest.

“He’s a very tricky black belt on the ground, very good at jiu-jitsu, but you have to get me down first.”

McGrillen believes the stylistic matchup favours him, giving him even more confidence ahead of his fight in Austin.

He said: “I’ve seen this style before, I’ve fought Brazilians like this in the past.

“I know what he’s going to bring and watch how his feet are moving, he can try and bring that wildness, but it will get him in trouble.

“You can come with the shot you’re doing against me and you’ll suffer the consequences.”

We haven't seen McGrillen compete since May 2025, when he submitted Alan Philpott with a second-round rear-naked choke.

Despite being inactive for over a year, the Manchester mixed martial artist has continued to train hard and improve, determined to return as an even more dangerous fighter.

McGrillen believes he is still far from the peak of his career, constantly learning and developing as he prepares to showcase his new skill set after so much time away from competition.

The 25-year-old said: “Even though I’ve not fought in a year, I have been in the gym 24/7.

“There are certain people in this world who will never stop evolving and I need to be one of them.

“I am nowhere near the margin of my prime yet, I’m still a boy in the sense in this game.”

Asked how he sees the fight unfolding at the Moody Center in Austin, McGrillen was confident there is only one outcome.

He said: “I see me knocking him out cold in round one.

“I’ve trained for guys like this for years, I know what I need to do.”