Issue 122
December 2014
After 15 months out due to a knee injury and TV commitments, UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis says he’s eager to remind everyone why he’s the most exciting fighter on the planet
They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but for Anthony Pettis absence from the Octagon has only left a sour taste in his mouth. As he drives around his hometown of Milwaukee in his brand-new Mercedes G55, the once-shining sun setting quickly around him and his daughter, Aria, he comes across as a content figure. However, underneath his cool, calm exterior is a beast itching to strap on his 4oz gloves and get back to work.
A torn posterior cruciate ligament that he suffered during his title-winning performance against Benson Henderson in August 2013 kept him out of action for 462 long days. So to say ‘Showtime’ is eager to finally make the walk to the eight-sided cage would be quite the understatement.
“I’ve been back in the gym since my injury but I’ve not been in a training camp. It feels great to have an opponent and a date for my next fight,” he says to FO in an exclusive interview. “I’ve never experienced a knee injury before so this is my first time having to deal with one and when the doctor says you’re out of action for six months you’re actually out of action for that amount of time.
“The only thing I’m apprehensive about is if it happens again I’ve got to sit out for another half a year. I really hope that that’s the last big injury I get.”
In a strange twist, Pettis, 17-2, has spent his entire title reign on the outside looking in, despite being the top dog in the division. However, with his time away from the cage he has gained enlightenment into the fickle nature of fans who once cheered him but now lambast him for taking so long to get back into action.
“Becoming champion is kind of bittersweet for me. On one side, I’ve always wanted to be known as the best fighter in the world and I proved that last year when I beat Benson Henderson (UFC 164, August 2013). That being said, with the knee injury and having to take six months off to get it back to normal I haven’t had a chance to defend the title and show everybody why I’m the best in the world.
“I’ve had to deal with a lot of criticism because I haven’t defended the belt and I’ve got other fighters calling me out all the time. Some fans have turned their back on me while I’ve been out injured, but there are loyal fans who have stuck by me because they like what I represent and how I fight. It’s been a little bit of good and bad and until I get a chance to defend this thing, and keep defending, it I’m going to have those criticisms.”
He adds: “When you’re on top you have to be ready for those sorts of situations. Everyone is going to have your name in their mouths and people are going to doubt you and what you bring to the table. I’m ready though. I’m only 27 years old, man. I’ve just been focusing on recovering from my knee injury because I’ve still got a lot of years left in this sport.”
Besides from his damaged PCL, Pettis was also forced to delay his return to the Octagon when he and number-one contender Gilbert Melendez were chosen to coach an all-female cast of 115lb fighters on the 20th season of The Ultimate Fighter.
Despite most fighters stating that their experience on TUF was far from one they’d like to relive, Pettis claims to have enjoyed it, even if there were some bad days with the ladies, and he had to spend more time with Melendez than he had hoped.
“You know, my time on TUF 20 wasn’t that bad. Besides from having to square off with Gilbert and see him all the time it wasn’t that bad. It just makes me want to fight him even more now. We didn’t exchange any words or have any bust-ups on set, but knowing I had to fight him in December but had to spend all this time around him was hard. Honestly, though, I’ve been out for over a year so I didn’t need any more motivation for this fight.
“It was a cool experience. I made a lot of good friends on that show and I also got to see a different style of training too. Not only because they’re women, but because they all come from different backgrounds too so I got to learn as well as teach. Everybody uses their own techniques and it all works differently. Seeing that opened my mind to a lot of different things training wise. Training with the girls did have its moments. Some days were good and some days simply weren’t. At the end of the day, I believe they all walked away as better fighters.”
Besides from the story line of Pettis and Melendez facing each other at UFC 181 on December 6th, Melendez also brought former lightweight contender and close friend Nate Diaz into his coaching staff.
Diaz and Pettis have had a war of words on Twitter for a number of months and according to Melendez, Diaz was not only brought in to help the ladies sharpen their skills but he was there to ‘intimidate’ people too. ‘Showtime’, however, seemed perplexed by his opposing coach’s attempt at mind games before the bout.
“Gilbert thought bringing him onto the show might be intimidating but I didn’t think he was intimidating at all. In my opinion, he’s just another fighter in my weight class and if he wins enough fights I’ll be fighting him as well.
“I’m definitely not intimidated by him whatsoever, and at the same time, if Gilbert Melendez needs to bring someone else in to intimidate me when it’s actually him that’s fighting me on December 6th then that’s kind of weird.”
Melendez and Diaz aren’t the only two fighters gunning for Pettis’ title, as a whole host of the UFC’s 155lb division have swapped rankings over the last year. Former top contenders have fallen into obscurity, new names have risen to the forefront and old foes have inserted themselves back into the title picture.
“I’ve always known that there were some strong players in the division. Despite what happened in his last fight (knockout loss, UFC Fight Night 49), Benson Henderson is still a great fighter
in the weight class. Donald Cerrone has also had good year.
“It’s strange because me, Benson Henderson and Donald Cerrone have been fighting each other since the WEC days, so there’s nothing new there between us.
“Rafael Dos Anjos is quickly rising up the ranks, he’s sort of popped up out of nowhere. Khabib (Nurmagomedov) has been winning fights consistently, Eddie Alvarez has come over from Bellator. I don’t think it’s surprising that there are so many quality fighters because this is the most stacked division in the UFC. It’s just been frustrating for me because I’ve not been able to put my name on that list.”
Despite an abundance of talent at lightweight, Pettis has his sights firmly set on Melendez and their tussle at UFC 181. And so he should, as Melendez is far from a walk in the park for any fighter.
A two-time Strikeforce lightweight champion who has defeated the likes of Josh Thomson, Jorge Masvidal, Shinya Aoki and Tatsuya Kawajiri in his 25-fight career and has finished 12 of his 22 victories, Melendez has been at the top or hovering around it for over a decade.
However, while many think of Melendez as a fighter with very few holes in his game, Pettis is not one of them. As someone who is a long-time fan of the sport, Pettis has studied and knows his opponent’s game thoroughly and intends to put everything he’s learned about Melendez to good use when the cage door shuts and the referee signals them to fight.
“I disagree with people thinking he’s a complete fighter. I think he’s a good fighter but he’s not a complete fighter. He doesn’t know how to kick and he doesn’t know how to block kicks either. He’s got great wrestling, good submission defense and good boxing but he definitely has holes in his game as well and he’s never fought anyone like me before,” Pettis says.
“You can’t find sparring partners who do what I do. If people think I got worse with my time off then they’re definitely mistaken. Everyone else is growing and showing it off in the Octagon but I’ve been growing and evolving as a fighter too, I just haven’t had a chance to show it off in the UFC.
“He’s going to come out and try and wrestle me. Everyone saw the Guida fight, which happened three years ago, and people still think that that’s how I fight.”
Pettis adds: “He definitely doesn’t want to stand-up and trade with me. He might feel comfortable with his boxing, but he’ll be surprised by how good my boxing is and he definitely doesn’t want to be around kicking range of me. I know what he’s going to do in the fight, but he doesn’t know what I’m going to do. I have the element of surprise.”
Now there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, and the first defense of his lightweight gold is on the horizon, Pettis is ready to show everyone he deserves to be the king of the hill.
And just as the entire lightweight division has a target firmly placed on his back, he too has eyes on everyone else who is going to be vying for his strap. After all, he’s got a lot of time to make up.
CEREAL CHAMPION
Recently, Anthony Pettis topped a nationwide poll to become the new face of Wheaties. With sport stars such as Muhammed Ali, Larry Bird and Adrian Peterson all being on the front of the famous cereal in the past, Pettis believes this is not only a huge opportunity for him, but for the MMA world.
“It’s still really surreal because the UFC had the chance to put any of its athletes on the box,” he says. “The fact the UFC chose me proves I’m doing something right. I mean, there are so many great champions in the UFC and Dana White chose me to be on this box. For that I’m grateful, but at the same time I think it’s huge for MMA. Our sport is already growing significantly but for a fighter to be put on a Wheaties box is a whole new level.
“We’re talking about a different level of fans that are going to see this because they eat this cereal. That’s what it’s all about and hopefully it transitions so other fighters get this opportunity too.”
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