Another weekend of fisticuffs has come and gone, as UFC Fight Night 120 blew the roof off Ted Constant Convocation Center last night (Sat., Nov. 11, 2017) in Norfolk, Virginia.
Plenty of fighters were left licking their wounds, including Diego Sanchez, who was knocked out in the very first round by one of Matt Brown’s vicious elbows (see it again here). And Joe Lauzon, who was beaten down by Clay Guida in under two minutes to kick off the main card action.
But which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now 48 hours removed from the show?
Anthony Pettis.
Going into his headlining act against Dustin Poirier, “Showtime” looked to build off his win over Jim Miller and collect his second straight win since moving back up to the lightweight division.
Poirier, though, had plans of his own, as he desperately wanted to make a statement after his previous fight against Eddie Alvarez at UFC 211 earlier this year ended in a no-contest.
In what proved to be a “Fight of the Night” bonus-winning performance, both men showed out for fight fans, putting on a spectacular show that had them each have their shining moments. Poirier, though, proved to be too much for Pettis, busting up “Showtime’s” nose, leaving him a bloody mess and even forcing a stoppage in the action to allow the doctor to determine whether or not Anthony could continue.
And though he allowed it to go on, it was the beginning of the end.
In the third and final round, after a few more scrambles on the ground, Pettis tapped without warning, leaving a befuddled Poirier to raise his hands in victory. “Showtime,” however, remained on the ground in agonizing pain with an apparent rib injury.
Nevertheless, a loss is a loss and Pettis has now lost two of his last three. To take things further back, Anthony has dropped five of his last seven fights inside the Octagon. “Showtime” felt a move back to 155 pounds would right his ship, and he seemed to be on to something after defeating Jim Miller. But after losing to Poirier, Anthony finds himself back at square one.
To make things a bit murkier, Pettis’ woes are both at 155 pounds and at Featherweight. His move to 145-pounds didn’t last long, as he went 1-1, including losing an interim title fight to Max Holloway.
Where Anthony goes from here is unclear, but if I had my preference, I would like to see him stay at 155 pounds. Anthony is still skilled, and has the potential to turn things around. That said, I’d like to see him face off against Michael Chiesa.
“Maverick” also came up short in his last fight, losing to Kevin Lee via submission. Prior to that, Chiesa was riding high with a three-fight win streak. Michael has longed for a fight against a big name opponent, and though Pettis has lost some value, he’s as good as it gets for “Maverick” at the moment…and vice versa.
Unless, of course, you have a better idea?
For complete UFC Fight Night 120 results and coverage click here.