Anthony Pettis won’t be forgetting what happened at UFC 185 any time soon.
Not only the did the surging lightweight champion have his title taken away by Rafael dos Anjos, but it also was done so in brutal and prolonged fashion. The Kings MMA fighter jumped out to a red-hot start in the bout as he rocked the Duke Roufus protege with the first hard left hand he threw. The punch landed flush on Pettis’ right eye and snapped his head back upon impact.
The strike from “RDA” put the Milwaukee native on his heels, and on the defensive is where he would stay throughout the entire five-round affair. Whether against the cage or off his back, Pettis was constantly battling to weather the barrage of shots dos Anjos was launching at him. The end result was a lopsided beatdown of a champion who had built his reputation for lightning-quick first-round finishes where he’d taken little to no damage.
That certainly wasn’t the case Saturday nightm and UFC President Dana White gave an update on the former champion’s health during his interview on the Fox Sports 1 UFC 185 post-show.
“He got stitches on his eyebrow,” White said. “Not a bad cut. He got seven stitches, and he’s got a concussion. He said after he got hit with that first shot he wasn’t feeling right for the rest of the fight.”
While the 28-year-old lightweight’s bumps and bruises will certainly heal, it will be interesting to see how he rebounds from the loss to dos Anjos at UFC 185. Pettis’ game is fueled by confidence, and from that, he’s been able to pull off some of the most creative techniques to ever be displayed inside of the cage. Yet, there was no flash in his game at UFC 185, as his confidence appeared zapped shortly after dos Anjos’ left hand found its mark.
There is also the additional factor of the bout being an extended one-sided beating. It’s one thing to lose a fight and/or a title via knockout or quick submission, but it’s an entirely different animal to come out on the business end of a 25-minute onslaught. While time will eventually tell the tale as to whether or not Pettis can reclaim his “Showtime” status, what happened at UFC 185 jolted many in the MMA community. And of that collective, Dana White was certainly a member, saying, “I didn’t think anybody could do that to Anthony Pettis.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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