Anthony Pettis

BREAKING: Anthony Pettis has signed with PFL

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The free agency of Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (24-10) did not last very long. ESPN was first to report that Pettis has agreed to a new deal with PFL. Pettis will compete in their 2021 season in the lightweight division.

Showtime just announced last night that he was leaving the UFC to pursue free agency. Bellator’s Scott Coker expressed serious interest in bringing in Pettis given the fact that they already have Sergio Pettis on the roster.

However, Pettis found his dream deal with PFL. Pettis is the second former UFC champion that has signed with PFL to compete for the promotion during their 2021 season. The other being former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum. 

This is a big signing for PFL who has started to make waves this year with signings. Of course, they did sign Werdum, but they also made headlines signing the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, Claressa Shields. 

Now, they add Showtime Pettis to their expanding roster. PFL has been looked at as an organization that was a step down from Bellator and ONE Championship which were of course step downs from the UFC. However, PFL is flexing it’s muscles at the end of this year.

Pettis in PFL

As mentioned above, Anthony Pettis will be competing at lightweight under the PFL banner. Pettis just competed at welterweight last weekend at UFC Vegas 17. Pettis was able to secure a unanimous decision victory over Alex Morono.

It’s been an up and down few years for Anthony Pettis. The former champion hadn’t put two straight wins together in the UFC since he was the lightweight champion. He couldn’t have picked a better time to start his first winning streak.

The UFC had gone to Pettis earlier this year and tried to sign him to an extension. Pettis decided to bet on himself and look at all the options. Just a few days after he fought out the last fight on his deal, he’s found his new home with PFL.

Anthony Pettis announces that he’s leaving the UFC

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This past weekend at UFC Vegas 17, Anthony Pettis (24-10) took on Alex Morono (18-7, 1 NC). Pettis made the walk in what was the final fight on his current deal with the UFC. Pettis was betting on himself Saturday night.

The UFC had gone to Pettis with an offer to extend his contract prior to the Donald Cerrone fight early this year. However, Pettis decided to turn down the offer and wait things out. Entering the cage Saturday night, there was still no deal in place.

Pettis was able to pull out the unanimous decision victory at UFC Vegas 17. After the fight was over, Pettis said that he wanted to go back to lightweight and capture a world title. Pettis competed at welterweight on Saturday night.

In the days after UFC Vegas 17, there has been a lot of speculation on what Anthony Pettis would do moving forward. Would he resign with the UFC or would he perhaps move on to Bellator where his brother currently fights.

After days of contemplating, it seems that Showtime has made his decision. After 12 years of competing for the UFC and the WEC, Pettis is moving on. He announced the news on Twitter this evening.

Life after the UFC

Pettis will walk away from the Zuffa banner having held a world title in the WEC and the UFC. While his career has been very up and down since he lost his lightweight championship years ago, he’s still one of the most recognizable athletes in the sport.

For the first time since 2008, Pettis will be competing outside of the Zuffa promotions. So where does Pettis go now that he’s leaving the UFC? There are going to be several suitors for the former world champion.

Clearly the favorite should be Bellator. Bellator is where his brother is signed and they could use more star power in their lightweight division. If I was a betting man, that is where I’d place my money.

However, I wouldn’t put it past PFL or even ONE to make a run at the former UFC champion. I would expect that we will know where Pettis will be going in the next couple of weeks.

Anthony Pettis gets a win on the final fight of his current deal at UFC Vegas 17

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In the featured prelim at UFC Vegas 17, former lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis (24-10), took on Alex Morono (18-7, 1 NC). Pettis was entering the fight on the final fight of his current contract with the UFC.

Showtime entered the fight just 1-2 in his last three fights. There was a lot of pressure on the former champion and Alex Morono was looking to be the spoiler. When the fight got underway, it looked like Morono would do just that.

In the opening seconds at UFC Vegas 17, Pettis fell down while throwing a kick. Morono was able to pounce and get on top of Pettis. For the entire first round, Morono was able to control Pettis.

In the second round, Pettis started to open up with his striking. The former UFC champion looked really comfortable on the feet and he outstruck Morono to secure the second round.

In the third round, Pettis was again getting the better of the standup. In the final seconds of the third round, Pettis almost secured a showtime finish when he rocked Morono with a spinning back kick.

Last UFC fight?

All three judges scored the fight for Pettis 29-28. It was a massive win for Pettis and a great way for him to close out his current UFC deal. At this moment, it appears that Pettis will be testing the free agent market.

I don’t think the UFC is going to be the most aggressive in the pursuit due to the announcement of upcoming cuts. If I had to pick a favorite, I think Bellator is the clubhouse favorite to land Anthony Pettis.

Pettis’ younger brother Sergio already fights for Bellator. Sergio Pettis fought in the UFC prior to making the jump over to Bellator. I think that Anthony might just do the exact same thing.

Time will tell, but there’s a very real chance that we’ve seen Pettis for the final time inside the octagon. He can hold his head high knowing he’s had plenty of showtime moments including capturing the lightweight title.

UFC Vegas 17 Preview: Anthony Pettis – Alex Morono

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Tomorrow night at UFC Vegas 17 there’s a solid welterweight contest featuring a former champion. Former lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis (23-10), is back in action at welterweight taking on Alex Morono (18-6, 1 NC).

For Morono he’s going to be attempting to pickup his second UFC win in the last two months. Back at UFC Vegas 14, Morono took on Rhys McKee. Morono was able to get the unanimous decision victory that night.

Since November of 2018, Morono has gone 4-1 inside the octagon. This is the biggest fight of his career in terms of name recognition. If he can get a win tomorrow night over a former UFC champion, it would be big for him.

“Showtime” will be looking to pickup his second straight win tomorrow night as well. We last saw the former UFC lightweight champion at UFC 249 when he took on Donald Cerrone.

That night, Pettis was able to squeak out a decision victory. That win snapped a two-fight losing streak for Pettis. Pettis’ career has been up and down over the past few years, but he’s only lost to top competition inside the UFC.

UFC Vegas 17 Prediction

This matchup is an interesting one on paper when you look at the credentials of both fighters. Both of these fighters are blackbelts in taekwondo. Both of these men are also really slick on the ground.

That makes for a very compelling matchup at UFC Vegas 17. However, there is one thing about Morono that really concerns me and that is his striking defense. We’ve seen in his past couple of fights that it hasn’t been great.

Khaos Williams was able to knock him out in 27 seconds and Rhys McKee was able to land 50% of his strikes in their fight. McKee through over 200 strikes so that tells you that Morono was hit a lot.

I think Pettis is going to be able to take advantage of that at UFC Vegas 17. Morono’s chance at winning comes down to wrestling Pettis. However, I just don’t know if his wrestling will outweigh the shots he’s going to take from the former champion.

Prediction: Anthony Pettis by Unanimous Decision

UFC Books Anthony Pettis – Alex Morono

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Today, the UFC got some tough news regarding their December 19th card. The main event between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards was called off due to Edwards testing positive for COVID-19. 

As a result, the UFC promoted Stephen Thompson – Geoff Neal to the main event of UFC Vegas 17. However, the loss of the main event also left one slot open on the stacked Fight Night card.

That’s when former UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis (23-10), decided to step in and ask for a fight. The promotion worked on it this afternoon and they have found Pettis an opponent at welterweight per ESPN. 

Pettis will be taking on Alex Morono (18-6, 1 NC) at UFC Vegas 17. There is no word yet on if this fight will take place on the main card or the prelims. Normally, this would be a sure main card fight on a fight night card, but this card is incredibly stacked.

UFC Vegas 17’s New Fight

Pettis had been training and he’s been itching to get back into the UFC‘s octagon. Pettis last fought back in May when he defeated Donald Cerrone by decision. The fight was razor close, but Pettis was able to snap his two-fight losing streak.

The former lightweight champion has struggled to find his groove over the last few years. Late in the summer, Pettis seemed interested in fighting Anderson Silva, but that fight never materialized. Now, Pettis will get his next UFC opportunity against a hungry contender.

Alex Morono returned a few weeks ago to fight Rhys McKee. It was Morono’s first fight since he was knocked out by Khaos Williams. Morono was able to dominate the fight and win a unanimous decision.

He is now 4-1 in his last five fights in the UFC. He’ll be taking on a ranked contender and a former champion in Anthony Pettis. This is the biggest fight of Morono’s career and a golden opportunity for progression. Should be a great matchup on December 19th.

Two fights to make after UFC Vegas 9

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UFC, Dana White

This past weekend at UFC Vegas 9, Alistair Overeem (47-18, 1 NC) stopped Augusto Sakai (15-2-1) in the fifth round of their heavyweight main event. Despite all the obstacles, I would say that the card delivered a solid night of action for the UFC.

One of the things that is popular around the water cooler on Monday is what’s next for the fighters of the past weekend’s UFC card. With that, let’s take a look at two fights that the promotion should look to book after UFC Vegas 9.

A UFC rematch with Overeem & Rozenstruik

The first fight that I think the UFC should look to book is a rematch between Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik (11-1). We just saw Rozenstruik back at UFC 252 where he knocked out Junior Dos Santos in their fight. Both contenders are ranked inside the top five.

These two men fought back in December at UFC on ESPN 7. In that fight, Overeem was getting the better of the fight and he was on his way to a decision win. However one massive shot in the final ten seconds of the fight gave the win to Rozenstruik.

Given the current state of the UFC‘s heavyweight division, a fight between the two men makes the most sense. Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1 NC) would have been another good option for Overeem, but Lewis is already booked to fight Curtis Blaydes in November.

Michel Pereira vs Anthony Pettis

If you’re not entertained when the UFC‘s Michel Pereira (24-11, 2 NC), I really don’t know what to tell you. Pereira is an absolute wild man with a wide range of powerful strikes. He used his skills to stifle and defeat Zelim Imadaev last weekend.

After the fight was over Pereira called out Jorge Masvidal. Hate to burst Pereira’s bubble, but that’s not happening. Pereira needs to get someone in the top fifteen in his next UFC outing though. Based on his techniques, I thought of someone interesting.

Pereira loves to throw flashy strikes like the showtime kick, so why not pair him against the man who made it famous? Anthony Pettis (23-10) is currently the 14th ranked welterweight in the UFC. The former lightweight champion doesn’t have an opponent at the moment.

A fight between the two men would pair two of the flashiest strikers in the UFC against each other. Men who aren’t afraid to jump off the sides of the cage to land something spectacular. It would also be a big fight for Pereira as he tries to advance his UFC career.

UFC: What’s next for Robbie Lawler?

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Robbie Lawler

This past weekend at UFC Vegas 8, former welterweight champion, Ruthless Robbie Lawler (28-15, 1 NC) suffered his fourth consecutive loss. Lawler looked great physically, but was completely controlled by Neil Magny over the course of three rounds.

Lawler will be turning 39 years old in March of 2021. Ruthless hasn’t won a fight in over three years when he won a decision over Donald Cerrone. Prior to that victory was his title loss against Tyron Woodley.

Lawler first made his UFC debut back in 2002. His career has been filled with highs and lows. Of course, there was no higher time than his reign as UFC welterweight champion. With a fourth straight loss dealt to him, what is next for the former champion?

Options for Lawler in the UFC

Despite his age and the current losing streak, I don’t think Lawler is ready to hang up the gloves. It’s also obvious that the former UFC welterweight champion doesn’t have another title run in him.

With that, the UFC needs to start being a little creative in their match making. My first thought was to pair Lawler back up with former interim champion, Carlos Condit. However, Condit is currently booked to fight Court McGee in October.

In my recent article about fights to make after UFC Vegas 8, I thought that Anthony Pettis could be a good option. Both Lawler and Pettis don’t appear to have another title run in them. Pettis just spent the last couple of months campaigning for a fight with Anderson Silva.

The fight between two former UFC champions would be an entertaining one to watch. If not Pettis or Condit, it will need to be someone along those lines. I think Lawler deserves someone with a name, but nobody in serious title contention.

We have not seen the end of Robbie Lawler inside the octagon. However, we know for sure that the prime Robbie Lawler is forever gone. Now, we can only hope that the UFC gives him good matchups and he can exit the cage with a win someday.

 

Three fights to make after UFC Vegas 8

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UFC, Dana White

Last night, UFC Vegas 8 saw some incredible fights. In the main event, Aleksandar Rakic (13-2) controlled Anthony Smith (33-16) over the course of three rounds. There were some storylines that came out of last night. Here are three fights the UFC should move to make following last night’s fight night.

Aleksandar Rakic vs Jiri Prochazka

Aleksandar Rakic had a dominant victory at UFC Vegas 8. After the fight was over, Rakic stated that he wanted the winner of the Dominick Reyes – Jan Blachowicz title fight next month at UFC 253.

I hate to burst Rakic’s bubble, but there’s no chance he gets a title shot after last night. While looking incredible with leg kicks early on, Rakic fought very conservatively which usually doesn’t sit well with Dana White. With that, there’s another contender who’s perfect for Rakic.

Jiri Prochazka (27-3-1) entered the UFC with a bang knocking out Volkan Oezdemir in the second round back in July. Prochazka hasn’t lost in almost five years. He’s extremely entertaining to watch, and he’s already a promotional favorite.

The Thiago Santos – Glover Teixiera fight in a couple of weeks is likely to determine the first challenger for Reyes or Blachowicz. A fight between Rakic and Prochazka could determine the next challenger. I think this would be a fantastic matchup for the UFC to put on towards the end of 2020.

Neil Magny vs Geoff Neal

The Haitian Sensation truly looked sensational last night in his victory over former UFC welterweight champion, Robbie Lawler. Neil Magny (24-7) controlled the fight for the entire 15 minutes doing a great job of imposing his will on the former champion.

Magny looked good in the grappling exchanges, and I was very impressed with his range striking in the third round. When Lawler was plotting forward looking to finish, Magny did a fantastic job of popping him clean with straight shots.

While Magny wants a top ten guy next, I think the fight to make is the fight with Geoff Neal (13-2). The fight with Neal was originally supposed to be last night, but due to some serious health issues, Neal had to pull out of the fight.

Neal is currently ranked 11th while Magny will likely be 12th when the new UFC rankings come out next week. It makes perfect sense for these two guys to fight. Whoever would walk away the winner would be ready for anyone inside the top ten.

Former UFC champs: Robbie Lawler vs Anthony Pettis

It’s really tough to place the former UFC welterweight champion in another fight. Robbie Lawler (28-15, 1 NC) looked great physically last night, but just didn’t look anything close to prime Robbie Lawler. The former champion dropped his fourth consecutive fight last night.

It’s clear to me that Lawler is starting to enter the twilight of his career. I don’t believe he’s done yet so the challenge becomes, who do you pair him against? I personally think the best fight would have been a rematch with Carlos Condit (30-13).

Condit has also lost five fights in a row, but a few years ago, the two men put on an incredible performance against each other. Both men left everything out there and it was a razor close decision for Lawler. At this stage in their careers, it would be a fun rematch.

However, Condit was booked to face Court McGee in October. So with Condit off the table, I look at Anthony Pettis (23-10). Pettis is a former world champion, and he hasn’t had a steady weight class home over the past couple years. He’s fought at lightweight, then featherweight, then lightweight, up to welterweight, then back to lightweight.

At this stage, I don’t think even Pettis sees another title run. It seems to be more about fighting big names which is why he wanted to fight Anderson Silva. A fight between Lawler and Pettis would be a low risk/high reward fight for the promotion.

Two former UFC champions going head-to-head. One would think it would purely be a striking match, but you truly never know. I would tune in if the UFC decided to put this one on.

UFC: Anthony Pettis vs Anderson Silva?

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UFC, Anderson Silva

Anthony Pettis recently posted on his Instagram, a picture of him watching and studying UFC 234. Pettis wasn’t just watching the event as a whole; he was watching Israel Adesanya vs Anderson Silva. This fight is a super fight 100%, but should this fight actually happen? Anthony Pettis is still in great fighting shape and climbing back to the top, while Anderson Silva, well he hasn’t fought in a year, and hasn’t won a fight in 3.

Why the Fight Should Happen

It’s the ultimate money fight for both competitors. Money makes the world go round; this fight could easily command 700k pay-per-view buys by itself. Legacy will also come into question, Pettis has had a long, storied career, and Silva is one of the G.O.A.T.’s. The fans would be ecstatic to see these two Hall of Famers go at it. This is the type of fight you put together in the UFC games, but at least it’ll be more realistic this time.

Why the Fight Shouldn’t Happen

Anderson Silva is 45 years old, that right there should be enough to tell you that the fight shouldn’t happen. Since 2013, Anderson Silva has won one fight, and he has a record 1-6-1 in his last 8 fights. I’m getting serious BJ Penn vibes from Silva right now, and that’s a very bad thing. If Silva keeps fighting, his G.O.A.T. status will be lost, and UFC fans just look back and say he was the greatest Middleweight for these years. Very similar to what UFC fans say about Chuck Lidell. Lidell was the scariest man on the planet for 4 years, and he sorta tarnished his status with his later fighting years. I know no UFC fans want to see Silva get knocked out again. Also, what weight would this fight be at? Silva is heavier than a Middleweight right now, and I don’t think Pettis can reach 185 comfortably.

Conclusion

This fight should not happen at all. Pettis has everything to win, and Silva has everything to lose. Silva should stay retired and ride out into the sunset, and Pettis should fight someone like Geoff Neal.

UFC: Geoff Neal returns to waiting tables due to lack of fights available

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One of the most exciting fights in the UFC’s welterweight division has returned to his second job due to a lack of fights. Geoff “Handz of Steel” Neal (13-2) is currently sitting on the sidelines waiting for a fight. The 11th ranked welterweight in the world has been an absolute monster since making his UFC debut, but unfortunately, the promotion cannot get him a fight. With a lack of income coming in, Neal has had to take up a job as a server at a steakhouse in Texas.

“I tell people I’m in purgatory in my career. I’m ranked number 11, not in the top 10 yet. I don’t have a big following behind me, so everybody that I want to fight doesn’t want to fight me because I’m a big risk. I’m somebody who knocks people out so I’m dangerous for their stock. So I see why they don’t want to accept the fight with me. But it’s still bullshit, I need to get paid, but I’m just sitting out here waiting,” Neal told The Score.

What should the UFC do?

Even more frustrating for Neal is the fact that many of the men he’s defeated have been active including Belal Muhammad and Mike Perry. For now, Neal continues to wait for the UFC to call him with an opponent that would appeal to him. In looking at the rankings, there are a couple of fights that might make sense that the UFC could pull together. Maybe they could pair Neal with Raphael Dos Anjos (29-13). Dos Anjos is coming off of back-to-back losses, but it would be a fight that would give Neal a guy with some name recognition. Another possibility could be Anthony Pettis (23-10). This wouldn’t be a step up in rankings for Neal, but it would give him someone to fight with some name recognition.

The one that makes the most sense to me is a fight with Michael Chiesa (17-4). Chiesa has won three in a row on his way to the eighth ranking in the division. Neal suggested that Chiesa is a guy he wants to fight, but he believes that Chiesa is scared to fight him. I’m not sure what the UFC is going to do, but they need to get Neal a fight soon. He’s too good and on too much of a roll to just sit on the sidelines. You can catch Neal’s full interview below.

https://youtu.be/hXLcrAbBRfk?t=2631