Anthony Pettis
Introduction '''Anthony Paul Pettis''' (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professional Fighters League (PFL). He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion. Pettis was also the final WEC Lightweight Champion prior to the promotion being merged into the UFC.
Early life Pettis was born on January 27, 1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Annette (''née'' Garcia) and Eugene Pettis Jr. He grew up in the south side of Milwaukee, along with his older brother, Reynaldo Pettis and younger brother, Sergio Pettis, who fights in the flyweight division.Pettis is of Mexican ancestry. His grandfather, Eugenio Pérez, anglicized the family name from Pérez to Pettis to avoid discrimination. Pettis attended Dominican High School.He started training in taekwondo and boxing at the age of 5.When he went to train mixed martial arts at Roufusport, he already had a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo. He later trained in capoeira.On November 12, 2003, Pettis' father was stabbed to death by a robber at a friend's house. Pettis felt detached as a result and didn't practice martial arts for several years. After his older brother became the first male in the family to graduate high school, Pettis was encouraged by a school nun to enroll at the Kenosha Fire Academy and subsequently became a firefighter.
Mixed martial arts career ===Early career===Pettis began training in MMA in 2006 after an open house at Roufusport MMA Academy. After compiling a 3-0 record as an amateur, he made his professional MMA debut in January 2007 and won via submission in 36 seconds. Pettis compiled a record of 8–0 in all fights being held by Adam Sandoval and Duke Roufus before debuting with the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), winning the Gladiator Fighting Series Lightweight Championship. His last fight before joining the WEC was a short notice welterweight bout.Pettis also has a professional kickboxing background. In MMA, Pettis is known for his smooth and technical fighting style, as well as his athletic feats and wide range of techniques.Pettis was coached by kickboxer and MMA trainer Duke Roufus and is a member of Roufusport where he trained with fighters Alan Belcher, Erik Koch, Ben Rothwell, Ben Askren, and Danny Downes.Before joining the WEC, Pettis went to ''The Ultimate Fighter: United States vs. United Kingdom'' tryouts but did not make it to the show.===WEC=======2009====Pettis was expected to make his promotional debut against Anthony Njokuani on April 5, 2009, at WEC 40.However, Pettis pulled out of the fight with a hand injury and was replaced by Bart Palaszewski.Pettis made his WEC debut at WEC 41 on June 7, 2009, where he defeated Mike Campbell via first-round triangle choke.He was then expected to fight Rob McCullough at WEC 44 on November 18, 2009, but was pulled off the card with an undisclosed injury.Pettis suffered his first professional loss on December 19, 2009, at WEC 45, dropping a split decision to Bart Palaszewski.====2010====Pettis at the WEC 53 weigh-insPettis rebounded from the loss with a head-kick KO victory over Danny Castillo on March 6, 2010, at WEC 47, earning ''Knockout of the Night'' honors. Training for the fight, as well as Pettis's family life, were both documented on an episode of the MTV show ''World of Jenks''.Pettis suffered almost no damage in the bout with Castillo and made a quick return at WEC 48 on April 24, 2010, against Alex Karalexis, replacing Zack Micklewright on short notice. He won the fight via submission in the second round.Pettis faced Shane Roller on August 18, 2010, at WEC 50.Pettis surprised many by taking down Roller multiple times and frustrating him with fast-paced scrambles. Pettis displayed diversity in his striking with two Capoeira kicks, the martelo and the aú batido. After several submission attempts, Pettis secured a fight-ending triangle choke in the closing seconds of the fight, earning a ''Submission of the Night'' bonus.His last WEC fight came against Benson Henderson on December 16, 2010, at WEC 53 for the WEC Lightweight Championship. The fight was closely contested throughout, providing back and forth action, both standing and on the ground. Late in the fifth round Pettis ran up the cage, jumped off it, then connected with a flying switch kick that knocked down Henderson. Sports reporters later named this the Showtime Kick. Pettis won the fight via unanimous decision (48–47, 49–46, 48–47) to become the final WEC Lightweight Champion. The fight was also awarded as ''Fight of the Night'' which won Henderson and Pettis an extra $10,000.===UFC=======2010====In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As part of the merger, a majority of the WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.Pettis was expected to face the winner of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, which took place at UFC 125.However, the bout was declared a draw, and Edgar–Maynard 3 was scheduled for UFC 130, but both fighters sustained injuries before the fight, which was postponed.====2011====Instead of waiting for the winner of Edgar/Maynard 3, Pettis faced Clay Guida on June 4 at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.Pettis next faced Jeremy Stephens on October 8 at UFC 136.Pettis won the closely contested bout via unanimous decision.====2012====Pettis faced Joe Lauzon on February 25 at UFC 144.He won the fight via knockout in round one. His performance earned ''Knockout of the Night'' honors.====2013====After spending the majority of 2012 recovering from a litany of injuries, Pettis faced Donald Cerrone on January 26, 2013, at UFC on Fox 6.He won the fight via TKO in round one. The performance also earned Pettis ''Knockout of the Night'' honors. After the victory, Dana White said he was "sold" on Pettis and admitted that after Benson Henderson against Gilbert Melendez on UFC on Fox 7, Pettis was to be the next to fight for the lightweight title.On February 5, it was announced that Pettis would not wait for a title shot at lightweight, and would instead be dropping down to 145 pounds to challenge featherweight champion, José Aldo on August 3 at UFC 163.However, on June 14, Dana White announced that Pettis had pulled out of the Aldo bout with a serious knee injury, and that Aldo would instead defend the title against Chan Sung Jung.A few weeks later after a quick recovery, it was announced on July 12 that Pettis would replace TJ Grant in a rematch for the UFC Lightweight Championship against Benson Henderson on August 31 at UFC 164.Pettis defeated Henderson via armbar submission in the first round to claim the UFC Lightweight Title. The win also earned Pettis his first ''Submission of the Night'' bonus award in the UFC.Pettis was expected to make his first title defense against T. J. Grant on December 14 at UFC on Fox 9.However, Grant revealed in mid-September that he had yet to be medically cleared after suffering a concussion in training and would not be eligible to compete on December 14.Pettis was then expected to face Josh Thomson at the event. However, the bout was canceled in mid-November after Pettis pulled out of the bout citing a knee injury.====2014====Pettis was selected to serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 20, opposite Gilbert Melendez and the two would face each other at UFC 181 on December 6, 2014.Pettis won the fight via guillotine choke in the second round, becoming the first man to finish Melendez. He also earned a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus award.====2015====Pettis faced Rafael dos Anjos on March 14 at UFC 185.He lost the bout and the championship by unanimous decision.Pettis was expected to face Myles Jury on July 25, 2015, at UFC on Fox 16.However, Pettis pulled out of the bout citing another injury and was replaced by Edson Barboza.====2016====Pettis faced Eddie Alvarez on January 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 81.He lost the back-and-forth bout via split decision.Pettis faced Edson Barboza on April 23, 2016, at UFC 197.Pettis lost the fight via unanimous decision.On the heels of a three-fight losing streak, Pettis announced in June 2016 his intention to drop to featherweight for his next fight. Pettis fought Charles Oliveira in his featherweight debut on August 27, 2016, at UFC on Fox 21.After another back-and-forth fight which saw Oliveira take his back multiple times, Pettis submitted Oliveira via guillotine choke in the 3rd round.Pettis faced Max Holloway for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship on December 10, 2016, at UFC 206.At the weigh-ins, Pettis came in at 148 pounds, three pounds over the featherweight limit of 145 lbs. for a championship fight. As a result, in the event that Pettis were to win the fight with Holloway, he would be ineligible for the UFC championship. Pettis was also fined 20% of his purse, which went to Holloway and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Pettis was the first fighter to miss weight for a UFC championship bout since Travis Lutter at UFC 67 in February 2007.He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.====2017====Pettis faced Jim Miller in a lightweight bout on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213.He won the fight by unanimous decision.Pettis faced Dustin Poirier on November 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 120.Pettis lost the fight via submission due to a rib injury suffered from a body triangle applied by Poirier. This fight also won him the Fight of the Night bonus award.====2018====Pettis was expected to face Michael Chiesa on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223, but the bout was canceled two days before the event after Chiesa was injured in an incident in which Conor McGregor hurled a dolly through the window of the bus Chiesa was in. The shards of the shattered window cut Chiesa, who was deemed unfit to fight by the athletic commission.On April 6, 2018, UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway was declared medically unfit by the New York State Athletic Commission and was pulled from his main event fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Pettis accepted the opportunity to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 for the lightweight championship on a day's notice with the hope of getting $1,000,000 for the fight. The UFC declined to pay him this much money and the deal fell through.The bout with Chiesa was rescheduled to UFC 226.At weight-ins, Chiesa weighed in at 157.5 pounds, 1.5 pounds over the non-title lightweight limit of 156 pounds. As a result, the fight proceeded catchweight bout with Chiesa forfeiting 30% of his purse to Pettis. Pettis won the fight via triangle armbar submission in the second round. This fight earned him the ''Performance of the Night'' award.Pettis faced Tony Ferguson on October 6, 2018, at UFC 229.After a back-and-forth fight, Pettis knocked down Ferguson in round two, but subsequently broke his hand in the process, going on to lose by corner stoppage due to his injury before the third round. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.====2019====On January 19, 2019, it was announced that Pettis would be returning to Welterweight for the first time since 2008 to face Stephen Thompson. This fight served as the headliner of UFC on ESPN+ 6 on March 23, 2019.Thompson outstruck Pettis for most of the bout, however Pettis won the fight via knockout late round two, becoming the first man to knockout Thompson in his MMA and kickboxing careers. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.Pettis faced Nate Diaz on August 17, 2019, at UFC 241.He lost the fight via unanimous decision.====2020====Pettis faced Carlos Diego Ferreira in a lightweight bout on January 18, 2020, at UFC 246.He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the second round.Pettis faced Donald Cerrone in a rematch on May 9, 2020, at UFC 249.He won the fight via unanimous decision.Pettis faced Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal on December 19, 2020.He won the fight via unanimous decision. With this being the last remaining bout on Pettis' UFC contract, Pettis announced on December 22 that he was choosing not to accept a new offer from the UFC and would be testing the free agent market.===PFL======= 2021 Season ====Just one day after announcing he would be testing free agency, Pettis announced on December 23, 2020, that he has signed a multi-fight deal with the Professional Fighters League, and he would be competing as a lightweight in the 2021 season.Pettis made his PFL debut against Clay Collard on April 23, 2021, at PFL 1.He lost the bout via unanimous decision.Pettis was scheduled to face Alexander Martinez at PFL 4 on June 10, 2021.However, Pettis withdrew due to illness and Martinez faced Natan Schulte. Schulte's opponent Raush Manfio, faced Pettis at PFL 6 on June 25, 2021.Pettis lost the close bout via split decision.==== 2022 Season ====Pettis was scheduled to face Myles Price on April 23, 2022, at PFL 1.It was later announced that the bout would be rescheduled for PFL 3.Pettis submitted Price in the first round via triangle choke.Pettis faced Stevie Ray on June 24, 2022, at PFL 5.He lost the fight via a modified body triangle submission in the second round.Pettis rematched Stevie Ray in the semifinals of the Lightweight tournament on August 5, 2022, at PFL 7.Once again, Pettis lost the bout, this time via unanimous decision.
Boxing career On February 6, 2023, it was announced that Pettis would make his professional boxing debut on April 1, 2023, against former four-division boxing champion, Roy Jones Jr. at Gamebred Boxing 4.He won the bout by majority decision.
In business and media Along with business partners Duke Roufus and Scott Joffe, Pettis owns the Roufusport MMA Academy and the Showtime Sports Bar in Milwaukee.Pettis along with Jon Jones, Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavidez, Mark Muñoz, Chad Mendes, and Scott Jorgensen starred in a Form Athletics (now owned by K-Swiss) commercial.On December 2, 2013, Pettis received a Certificate of Achievement from the Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker.On June 30, 2014, it was announced that Pettis signed a sponsorship deal with Reebok.In the fall of 2014, Pettis was voted to be the first UFC champion to appear on the cover of General Mills' Wheaties box wearing his belt. The box appeared in stores in early 2015.However, when the box came out Anthony Pettis had already lost his belt to dos Anjos.Pettis appeared on episode 4 of ''World of Jenks'', where documentary maker Andrew Jenks lived with Pettis for a week before his fight against Danny Castillo at WEC 47.The episode gave an inside look into Pettis' fight preparations as well as giving insights into his family life.
Personal life Pettis has two daughters, one from a previous relationship and one with his current partner.
Championships and accomplishments *'''Ultimate Fighting Championship'''**UFC Lightweight Championship (One time)***One successful title defense**Fight of the Night (Two times) vs. Dustin Poirier and Tony Ferguson**Knockout of the Night (Two times) vs. Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone**Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Benson Henderson 2*** 2013 Submission of the Year **Performance of the Night (Three times) vs. Gilbert Melendez, Michael Chiesa, and Stephen Thompson*'''World Extreme Cagefighting'''**WEC Lightweight Championship (One time; last)**Knockout of the Night (One time) vs. Danny Castillo**Submission of the Night (One time) vs. Shane Roller**Fight of the Night (One time) vs. Benson Henderson*'''Gladiators Fighting Series'''**GFS Lightweight Championship (One time)***One successful title defense*'''FIGHT! Magazine'''**2010 Newcomer of the Year*'''Inside MMA'''**2013 Male Fighter of the Year Bazzie Award*'''MMAFighting.com'''**2010 Fight of the Year vs. Benson Henderson on December 16*'''Sherdog'''**2010 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year*'''USA Today'''**2010 Fight of the Year vs. Benson Henderson on December 16*'''MMAJunkie.com'''**2019 March Knockout of the Month vs. Stephen Thompson*'''World MMA Awards'''**2018 Fight of the Year vs. Tony Ferguson at UFC 229
Mixed martial arts record Loss25–14Stevie RayDecision (unanimous)PFL 7 (2022)35:00New York City, New York, United StatesLoss25–13Stevie RaySubmission (twister)PFL 5 (2022)23:57Atlanta, Georgia, United StatesWin25–12Myles PriceSubmission (triangle choke)PFL 3 (2022)14:17Arlington, Texas, United StatesLoss24–12Raush ManfioDecision (split)PFL 6 (2021) 35:00Atlantic City, New Jersey, United StatesLoss24–11Clay CollardDecision (unanimous)PFL 1 (2021) 35:00Atlantic City, New Jersey, United StatesWin24–10Alex MoronoDecision (unanimous)UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal35:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win23–10Donald CerroneDecision (unanimous)UFC 24935:00Jacksonville, Florida, United StatesLoss22–10Carlos Diego FerreiraSubmission (rear-naked choke)UFC 246 21:46Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesLoss22–9Nate DiazDecision (unanimous)UFC 241 35:00Los Angeles, California, United StatesWin22–8Stephen ThompsonKO (punches)UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis24:55Nashville, Tennessee, United StatesLoss21–8Tony FergusonTKO (corner stoppage)UFC 22925:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesWin21–7Michael ChiesaSubmission (triangle armbar)UFC 22620:52Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesLoss 20–7Dustin PoirierSubmission (body triangle)UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Pettis32:08Norfolk, Virginia, United StatesWin20–6Jim MillerDecision (unanimous)UFC 21335:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesLoss19–6Max HollowayTKO (body kick and punches)UFC 20634:50Toronto, Ontario, CanadaWin19–5Charles OliveiraSubmission (guillotine choke)UFC on Fox: Maia vs. Condit31:49Vancouver, British Columbia, CanadaLoss18–5Edson BarbozaDecision (unanimous)UFC 19735:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesLoss18–4Eddie AlvarezDecision (split)UFC Fight Night: Dillashaw vs. Cruz35:00Boston, Massachusetts, United States Loss18–3Rafael dos AnjosDecision (unanimous)UFC 18555:00Dallas, Texas, United States Win 18–2Gilbert MelendezSubmission (guillotine choke)UFC 18121:53Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win 17–2 Benson HendersonSubmission (armbar)UFC 164 14:31Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Win 16–2 Donald Cerrone KO (kick to the body)UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Dodson 12:35Chicago, Illinois, United States Win 15–2 Joe Lauzon KO (head kick and punches) UFC 144 11:21Saitama, Japan  Win 14–2 Jeremy Stephens Decision (split) UFC 136  3 5:00Houston, Texas, United States Loss 13–2 Clay Guida Decision (unanimous) The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team dos Santos Finale  3 5:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United StatesWin 13–1Benson HendersonDecision (unanimous)WEC 53 5 5:00Glendale, Arizona, United States Win 12–1 Shane Roller Submission (triangle choke) WEC 50  3 4:51Las Vegas, Nevada, United States  Win 11–1 Alex Karalexis Submission (triangle choke) WEC 48  2 1:35Sacramento, California, United States Win 10–1 Danny Castillo KO (head kick and punches) WEC 47  1 2:27Columbus, Ohio, United States  Loss 9–1 Bart Palaszewski Decision (split) WEC 45  3 5:00Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win 9–0 Mike Campbell Submission (triangle choke) WEC 41  1 1:49Sacramento, California, United States Win 8–0 Gabe Walbridge TKO (punches) GFS: Season's Beatings  1 0:56Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States  Win 7–0 Jay Ellis TKO (submission to punches) GFS 55  1 1:12Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States  Win 6–0 Sherron Leggett Decision (split) GFS: Fight Club  3 5:00Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States  Win 5–0 Mike Lambrecht KO (kick) GFS: Knockout Kings  1 1:49Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Win 4–0 George Barrazza TKO (punches) GFS: The Warriors  1 2:31Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Win 3–0 Michael Skinner TKO (submission to punches) GFS: Seasons Beatings  1 0:36Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States Win 2–0 Lonny Amdahl TKO (injury) GFS: Rumble in the Cage  1 0:12Green Bay, Wisconsin, United States Win 1–0 Tom Erspamer TKO (punches) GFS: Super Brawl  1 0:24Wisconsin, United States
Professional boxing record ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes1Win1–0Roy Jones Jr.8Apr 1, 2023}
Karate Combat record Win1-0Benson HendersonDecision (unanimous) Karate Combat 4333:00
Pay-per-view bouts +No.EventFightDateVenueCityPPV Buys1.UFC 164'''Henderson vs. Pettis 2'''August 31, 2013BMO Harris Bradley CenterMilwaukee, Wisconsin, United States270,0002.UFC 185'''Pettis vs. dos Anjos'''March 14, 2015American Airlines CenterDallas, Texas, United States310,0003.UFC 206'''Holloway vs. Pettis'''December 10, 2016Air Canada CentreToronto, Ontario, Canada150,000
See also * List of male mixed martial artists
References
External links *  Anthony Pettis at PFL* *