Fighters Only

Issue 108

December 2013

The new UFC lightweight champion picks out the very best bits of his life inside the cage.

BEST CAREER MOMENT?

“I have two: winning the WEC and now, of course, the UFC title belts. Just the way I did it was fantastic. I fought the guy for the WEC title in his hometown and now I’ve fought him for his UFC title in my hometown. It all stems from winning the WEC title, it’s very rare that a title fight gains even more importance down the years.”

BEST THING A FAN HAS EVER SAID OR GIVEN TO YOU?

“There was a girl from Canada who had me sign her leg and then went and got it tattooed. That was definitely one of the craziest things I’ve seen. She also had a boyfriend, so that made it even crazier.”

BEST PERSONALITY TRAIT?

“I think I’m a real modest dude. No matter what happens, how big my name gets, or how successful I am I’ll always be Anthony Pettis. I always want to be a normal person.”

BEST ADVICE FOR A YOUNGER YOU?

“I have so much advice I would give to myself. As you grow older you get wiser so I’d definitely have to give myself some advice. One of the biggest things I’d tell myself is I need to be careful and not make dumb decisions. One of my biggest injuries came from falling off a motorcycle and separating my shoulder. I’d tell myself to be careful so I can have a long career.”

BEST INSPIRATION?

“I’d have to say that my biggest inspiration is my daughter. This sport is what puts food on the table so this is why I do it. I want to make a life for her that I didn’t have.”

BEST THING ABOUT MMA?

“You’re alone. There are no teammates for you to count on when you’re in the Octagon. It’s you against another person. All that matters is how hard you train and whether you can implement everything you’ve worked on in a fight.”

WHAT’S BEST, A KNOCKOUT OR SUBMISSION VICTORY?

“Honestly, I like them both. Knockouts feel great, especially a head kick. I love head kick knockouts and the crowd loves them too. Submissions are also great but it depends on how you get the submission. For example, that Shane Roller submission was a great one because I wasn’t supposed to be able to wrestle with him, yet I took him down a few times and in the end I got the submission victory. And my last fight, submitting Henderson. That was perfect.”

BEST OPPONENT?

“I’d have to say Clay Guida. He was relentless with his wrestling and constantly made me work during the 15 minutes of the fight. He was very tough.”

BEST MMA MATCH-UP?

“I really want to see Anderson Silva vs. Jon Jones. I know everyone was talking about GSP vs. Silva, but I think St Pierre is too small to fight him. Silva has already fought at 205lb so I think it’s a more viable option for those two to fight.”