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Coach Duke Roufus discusses what’s next for Anthony Pettis.
Anthony Pettis suffered a big setback against Nate Diaz at UFC 241, but head coach Duke Roufus would like to see ‘Showtime’ stay put at welterweight for the time being.
Speaking to MMA Junkie in a recent interview, Roufus listed two possible opponents for Pettis’ next fight at 170-pounds: Fellow UFC veterans Diego Sanchez and Carlos Condit.
“An interesting fight that I think would be kind of fun is Diego Sanchez and Anthony (Pettis) – two old-school, crazy Latino legends of the sport,” Roufus said . “If you want to talk about barnburners, that would be fun.”
“I think former champion Carlos Condit would be fun, especially at 170,” he added. “I like those two fights a lot. We’ll see what happens if it matches up. I mean, now I’d just like to see another fun fight that motivates him to want to keep doing great things.”
Prior to the Diaz fight, Pettis knocked out former title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson at UFC Fight Night 148, solidifying his position as a top-ten welterweight contender. Since his decision loss to Diaz, however, the former WEC and UFC lightweight champion has dropped four spots to No. 12.
Whether Pettis returns to the lightweight division or continues at 170-pounds, Roufus just wants to see his longtime student have fun in the Octagon.
“He happens to be a contender in both divisions now,” he said. “It’s a fun time. It would be great to win a title and stuff like that. But as a career person, it’s always fun to enjoy your job and he’s having a fun time enjoying his job right now – and that’s all he could ask at this stage of his career.”