Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis once sat atop the MMA world.
He was featured on a box of Wheaties and pushed as the “next big thing.”
Now, “Showtime” is competing at featherweight and will make his debut there this Saturday night at UFC on FOX 21 vs. Charles Oliveira.
For Pettis, the decision to switch weight classes has also come with other changes to his routine.
“I haven’t even watched tape on this guy,” he said, during an interview on UFC Tonight. “I didn’t want to concern myself with him. I did that for my last few fights and it made me second guess myself. Now I just concentrate on what I have to do. I actually watched my own fights to get ready.”
While still training with Duke Roufus, Pettis branched out once again for this fight and has been working with Greg Jackson. He trained with former rival Donald Cerrone before his recent loss to Edson Barboza, which marked his third straight decision setback.
“I still train with Duke Roufus. I’ve gone to Jackson’s for sparring and bodies, and Greg Jackson is a wizard for game plans,” he said. “I still have my daughter at home. But I only go to Jackson’s for a few weeks at a time. I get some different sparring partners and it clears my mind.”
Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis once sat atop the MMA world.
He was featured on a box of Wheaties and pushed as the “next big thing.”
Now, “Showtime” is competing at featherweight and will make his debut there this Saturday night at UFC on FOX 21 vs. Charles Oliveira.
For Pettis, the decision to switch weight classes has also come with other changes to his routine.
“I haven’t even watched tape on this guy,” he said, during an interview on UFC Tonight. “I didn’t want to concern myself with him. I did that for my last few fights and it made me second guess myself. Now I just concentrate on what I have to do. I actually watched my own fights to get ready.”
While still training with Duke Roufus, Pettis branched out once again for this fight and has been working with Greg Jackson. He trained with former rival Donald Cerrone before his recent loss to Edson Barboza, which marked his third straight decision setback.
“I still train with Duke Roufus. I’ve gone to Jackson’s for sparring and bodies, and Greg Jackson is a wizard for game plans,” he said. “I still have my daughter at home. But I only go to Jackson’s for a few weeks at a time. I get some different sparring partners and it clears my mind.”
