It’s no secert that Anthony Pettis has had a rough few years. Since losing his UFC Lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos, he has struggled to put together a win streak. He has lost 6 of his last 9 fights. He is looking to revive his career in a new weight class this weekend.
Anthony Pettis is looking to beat top Welterweight contender, Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson, this weekend in Nashville. However, this is not the first time Pettis has diverted from the weight class in which he won the UFC belt. He took on Max Holloway, in a losing effort for the Interim Featherweight Title. Now he is looking healthier than ever, in the lead-up to this bout at 170lbs.
According to Mike Bohn on Twitter, he enters this fight week at 182lbs, ready to go in the main event.
Anthony Pettis tells me he's currently 182 pounds ahead of UFC welterweight debut on Saturday. He looks healthier than ever. #UFCNashville
— Mike Bohn (@MikeBohn) March 20, 2019
Pettis spoke to ESPN, in an interview discussing his struggles in recent years, including his Holloway loss. “So Max Holloway fight; 7 weeks before the fight, my cars get blown up,” Pettis said. “How do you focus? I go in the fight, first ‘L’ like that in my life. Even in the RDA fight, I didn’t quit.” It was the first TKO of his career.
After this, ‘Showtime’ traded wins and losses back at 155lbs, including his most recent loss to Tony Ferguson, for the Interim Lightweight strap. Now Pettis feels like he has nothing to lose, as he is looking to strike new gold, by taking out one of Welterweight’s toughest contenders.
Pettis may have nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. If he wins this fight, it could be a short line to gold at 170lbs. Perhaps even another example for a 165lb weight class. Either way, it really is “Showtime” for the former champ.
