When the lights dim and the cameras roll on June 4, the MMA world will watch in unison as two of the most exciting lightweights do battle.
Ladies and gentleman, it’s showtime.
Former WEC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis will make his anticipated UFC debut in the main event of Saturday’s TUF 13 Finale card.
He’ll step right into the fire on the big stage against fan favorite and MMA wildman Clay Guida.
Those unfamiliar with Pettis are definitely in for a treat. He is one of the most creative strikers in the world, who seemingly has an affinity for pulling out insane highlight reel maneuvers.
Fans are still drooling over Pettis’ Matrix-like kick in his WEC championship bout against Ben Henderson. Along with making ESPN’s Sportscenter Top Ten, Pettis generated a massive following with his performance.
He was set to challenge the UFC lightweight champion in his debut, but with the January 2010 title bout between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard ending in a draw, a monkey wrench was thrown into the UFC’s plans for the rising young star.
Instead of waiting around for Edgar and Maynard, Pettis decided to take an extremely risky bout against Guida.
Some fans were upset about the possibility of Pettis missing out on a promised title shot.
An example of a similar situation is UFC featherweight Josh Grispi, who was originally scheduled to be the first to challenge Jose Aldo for his newly-acquired UFC title.
After an injury forced Aldo to pull out of the January bout, Grispi decided to take a fight against Dustin Poirier and ended up blowing his featherweight title shot.
As for Pettis, he made a great decision in taking the bout against Guida. The rematch for Edgar and Maynard was set for UFC 130, but both lightweights have been sidelined with injuries.
If Pettis waited around for the title shot, he could’ve been out of action for at least a year.
Recently, there have been questions surrounding Pettis’ position in the lightweight division. With a division full of guys like Gilbert Melendez, Jim Miller and Melvin Guillard, the title picture can become clouded with uncertainty at times.
UFC President Dana White has already stated that Edgar versus Maynard is still on deck, and if Pettis gets past Guida, he remains at the forefront of the lightweight herd.
“It’s Pettis,” White said according to MMAWeekly when asked about the next person in line for a lightweight title shot.
June will be a big month for MMA, and a bout between Pettis and Guida is a hell of a way to get things started.
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