Issue 101

May 2013

No matter whether it’s 155lb or 145lb, Anthony Pettis is on a mission to become UFC champion – and neither Benson Henderson nor José Aldo are gonna stand in his way. Michael Huang went to catch up with the man they call “Showtime.”

Anthony Pettis understands the value of timing. In his bout against Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6 in Chicago, Illinois, Pettis shifted back and forth between orthodox and southpaw. Cerrone’s stalking, straightforward style offered an easy target, and Pettis had only to wait for the right time to strike. 

‘Cowboy’s hands stayed up, defending his head which was static, moving very little from side-to-side. It was like putting his head on a pedestal, waiting for it to be knocked off. So he kept his hands up to defend, but it left his body exposed. With little more than half of the first round gone in their main card bout, there it was. 

Pettis saw the opening and, from a southpaw stance, landed a brutal liver kick that crumpled the Jackson-Winkeljohn prodigy, who’d never previously been finished by strikes. It was time to relish the victory. 

“To wreck him in the first couple minutes like that was more important and better to me than winning on Fox, than getting closer to my title shot, than anything else,” Pettis said.

UFC President Dana White noted afterward that Pettis had indeed vaulted himself into the position of number-one contender in the 155lb division. Pettis would take on the winner of the UFC lightweight title bout between champion Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez on April 20th. However, that put Pettis’ next fight perhaps eight months down the road. But he was willing to wait. 

“I mean if it’s a guaranteed title shot, I’m waiting,” Pettis said. “That’s what my goals are, that was my goal this year, if it’s next I’m definitely going to wait. (I’ll) get better, and get what’s mine.” 

Fast-forward two weeks, and Pettis is watching the featherweight title bout between champion José Aldo and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 156. Aldo defends his belt and once more the inhabitants of Planet MMA, supposedly, are in fear of the ‘untouchable’ 145lb ruler... 

However, Pettis grabs his phone and texts White before Aldo has a chance to hit the showers. Paraphrased, it went something like this: “Yo, Dana – Aldo looks good but I can beat him.” 

There was no immediate response. After the weekend was over and things calmed down for the UFC president, he finally got back to Pettis. “Dana said all he’d have to do is check a few things out, but let’s do it,” Pettis recalls to FO. 

Even his trainer, Duke Roufus, was taken by surprise. “It’s like we just got done getting through Cerrone, then all of a sudden Anthony says he wants to fight Aldo,” Roufus says. “And the fight was done.”

Pettis’ initiative was in contrast to what he said just a year earlier. “I’m not fighting Aldo, I’m not moving down to featherweight,” he said. “My home is at 155lb, and I want my title shot.” But there it was, opportunity staring him in the face. And it looked a lot like José Aldo. 



The waiting game

Pettis says he would have waited for Henderson. He doesn’t seem preoccupied with whether the 145lb title bout hurts his chances at the lightweight title. One has the right to feel like that if you know you’ve already beaten the guy who’s the current champion. So don’t mistake his confidence for nonchalance or dismissing Henderson, or worse yet, ducking him. 

“I’ve heard people say I’m running from Henderson, that I’m going down in weight class to get the ‘easier’ belt,” Pettis says. “But José Aldo’s

a big man right now. Whoever says he’s the easier fight is crazy. Aldo looks unbeatable, invulnerable. He’s looking like a god out there. 

“On the other hand, Henderson’s been squeezing by on decisions, and I’ve beaten him already. No disrespect to Ben, but Aldo’s just been running through people. You beat a guy like Aldo, you can put your name up there with the greats.” 

And timing is everything. A year ago, when he said he wouldn’t move down to 145lb, his teammate, fast- rising featherweight Erik Koch, was making a run at Aldo. Pettis wouldn’t do anything to stand in his way. 

“That was a big reason I never thought about going down to 145lb,” Pettis acknowledges. “Erik was in line to get a title shot and I would never do that to him.” 

However, at UFC on Fox 6, Koch took a massive beating from Chicago-based featherweight contender Ricardo Lamas, losing by TKO. Having just recovered from the knee injury that knocked him out of the title bout he had scheduled for October last year, Koch looked rusty and tentative. 

“The guy you saw fighting that night was not Erik Koch,” Pettis says sternly. “I don’t know what it was, but Erik’s a much better fighter than that and everyone knows it.” Perhaps not Lamas, who has said Pettis’ title shot at Aldo is bulls**t, that Pettis didn’t earn it. 

Lamas’ camp acknowledges why Edgar got a shot – he had won a UFC lightweight title before, and certainly the name recognition will help sell pay-per-views and tickets. 

“If you want to say that, just compare who I’ve beaten to who he’s beaten. Who’s he beaten? I’ve beaten the lightweight champion already,” says Pettis. “I am the number-one contender in the lightweight division – a higher weight class with better competition in it and way more fighters in it. So put our records side to side and it’s easy to see who deserves the title shot. 

“(Lamas) has to do what I did and wait. Win some more fights. Get your name bigger. I got the president of the UFC behind me. The more people you get behind you, you’ll get that title shot.” 

And now, with Koch seemingly out of the featherweight title picture for the foreseeable future, the timing was perfect to throw his name into the ring against Aldo. 



Two weight classes?

“If I win this fight, I’ll have all the cards in my hand,” Pettis says. Indeed, while the Duke Roufus-trained stand-up stylist isn’t looking past Aldo, he knows he’ll have all sorts of avenues to follow if he wins the featherweight belt. 

At first glance it might seem as if the UFC wouldn’t want a fighter jumping back and forth between weight classes, let alone possibly hold two belts at once. But then again, why would that be a bad thing? Pettis will continue to build momentum for a fight at 155lb as well. 

Should he keep winning, Pettis at

26 is young enough that a fair amount of excitement could build around his versatility. And at 155 and 145lb, the weight difference is not dramatic, a cut he freely admits would be no problem. 

“I’ve never been down there, so I don’t know how hard it would be, so I’ll probably do my camp a little earlier than I would. But making 155 was a breeze,” Pettis admits. “I had no problem getting there. I’ll most likely have to be more strict on my diet. But 145 shouldn’t be a problem. I think some people think too much about the weight cut then forget about the fight. I won’t have a problem with it.” 

But right now, his main concern is Aldo and he is more intrigued by the challenge than simply waiting for a title shot against a guy he’s already beaten. He says: “To me, Aldo’s a much tougher fight, that’s why I asked for it. He’s one of those guys going through his opponents like crazy. 

“He just beat the last 155lb champ. I think Aldo’s the tougher challenge for me. I beat Ben Henderson once, and I think I’m going to be doing it again soon. But right now, Aldo’s the guy that’s on the radar.” 

Whether Pettis will remain the number-one contender in the lightweight division with an Aldo loss he simply doesn’t know. But he has stated his number-one goal is to win the 155lb belt, and he does so again despite unlike last time having a featherweight title shot secured. 

But you certainly can’t blame him for not wanting to wait again. After all, he was the WEC’s last lightweight champion after defeating Henderson with that now-famous sensational Matrix-style head kick off the fence. But he waited his turn. Then a torn labrum forced him to wait another year before taking on Cerrone. He wanted a title shot; he’d earned a title shot. So whether at 155 or 145lb, it didn’t matter. 

“I’m game for the fight with Aldo because you have to fight the best in the world when they’re in their prime to be the best, and that’s what I want to do,” Pettis adds. 

Yet for the man they call ‘Showtime,’ it’s not even all about winning titles. Sure, he wants to make a name for himself, but he wants to build a name that will last. Not one that comes and goes as quickly as a title can. 

Pettis adds: “For me the title is just a bonus. Winning a title’s part of success, but it’s not the only reason. I’m in this game to fight the best in the world, to be the best in the world. That’s how you make a name that lasts. That’s what people will remember.” 

Anthony Pettis: Timeline

  • 1987: Born Anthony Pettis in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on January 27, 1987.
  • 1992: At the age of five, begins training taekwondo under Master Larry Struck.
  • 1999: Attends Dominican High School in Whitefish Bat, Wisconsin.
  • 2003: Stricken by grief, Pettis leaves martial arts in November after his father is killed attempting to foil a neighbor’s house robbery.
  • 2005: After graduating from high school, trains to be a firefighter, a job he keeps for 18 months.
  • 2006: Returns to martial arts as a taekwondo instructor at his brother’s gym. Discovers MMA and dedicates himself to it.
  • 2007: Begins training with kickboxing legend Duke Roufus at Roufusport.
  • January 2007: Makes his professional debut against Tom Erspamer at GFS 31, winning via first-round TKO in 24 seconds. 
  • June 2009: After going 6-0 as a pro, Pettis takes a vacation. Whilst away, Roufus calls to tell him he has a contract with the WEC. 
  • June 2009: Makes his WEC debut, catching Mike Campbell in a triangle choke in under two minutes. 
  • December 2009: Returns from a shoulder injury too quickly and suffers his first loss, against Bart Palaszewski, in a tightly contested split decision. 
  • March 2010: Rebounds with a first-round knockout of Danny Castillo at WEC 47. 
  • April 2010: Defeats TUF 1 alumnus Alex Karalexis, gaining the tap with a triangle. 
  • August 2010: Cements himself as the number-one contender in the WEC by submitting Shane Roller with a triangle choke.
  • December 2010: Becomes the last WEC 155lb champion and graces highlight reels after landing the famous ‘Showtime’ kick against Benson Henderson.
  • June 2011: Debuted in the UFC against Clay Guida after opting to fight instead of waiting for a title shot. Loses by decision. 
  • October 2011: Earns a hard-fought split-decision over grizzly veteran Jeremy Stephens in a back- and-forth battle. 
  • February 2012: Added to his highlight reel by headkicking Joe Lauzon and earning ‘Knockout of the Night’ honors too. 
  • January 2013: Once again showed his awesome kicking and athleticism, firing knees off the cage and Superman uppercuts before bowling over Donald Cerrone.
  • February 2013: Sends a text to Dana White at cageside after Aldo vs Edgar saying he wants the next shot at the Brazilian, a wish he is granted. 
...