Anthony Pettis will step into the octagon for the third time this year on December 19th, as the former lightweight champion is set to fight Alex Morono in a welterweight clash.
ESPN first reported the news, though the UFC is yet to confirm the matchup. Pettis has since confirmed the fight on his Instagram account.
“I’m not obsessing about getting back to a belt, or getting that next spot,” Pettis told ESPN. “This is my first chance to get back-to-back wins in a while. Let’s start back over, take this one step at a time. I feel amazing at 170 pounds. This opportunity opened up and I couldn’t say no to it.”
Pettis (23-10) picked up his first win in over a year in May when he defeated Donald Cerrone in their rematch at UFC 249. “Showtime” lost consecutive fights to Diego Ferreira by submission and Nate Diaz by decision before his most recent win. The 33-year-old made his welterweight return in March of last year knocking out Stephen Thompson at UFC Nashville.
Morono (18-6, 1NC) recently rebounded after a KO loss to Khaos Williams with a decision win over Rhys McKee last month. “The Great White” won three consecutive fights before his loss to Williams, including a stoppage win over Zak Ottow.
The UFC’s Fight Night card on December 19th recently had a main event change after Leon Edwards was forced out of his fight with Khamzat Chimaev. Stephen Thompson vs. Geoff Neal will now headline the card.