For some fighters, card placement on an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event can be a pretty big deal, as it usually signifies your level of achievement in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA).
So you have to understand Anthony Pettis for not being too happy that his younger brother, Sergio Pettis, was pegged to face Jussier Formiga on the undercard of the upcoming UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV) event on Oct. 6, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“UFC, I don’t know what Sergio has to do to get on the main card. He’s No. 2 in the world fighting No. 5 or No. 6 in the world and they are fighting on the undercard,” said Anthony on a recent edition of Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show
”Show the kid some respect, he’s busting his ass, and I see how hard he’s working. It’s kind of offensive to see him on the undercard.”
Of course, there are those who feel fighting on free on television gets you more exposure. Then again, UFC 229 will feature one of the biggest championship fights in history as its headlining act, when Khabib Nurmagomedov defends his belt against Conor McGregor.
So there is that.
The placement is indeed odd, as just two bouts ago Pettis was headlining a “Fight Night” event in Mexico City against Brandon Moreno. Shortly thereafter, though, he was inexplicably relegated to the Fight Pass portion of UFC 225.
Pettis has done quite well for himself in his five years with the promotion, racking up wins over the likes of former title contender Joseph Benavidez, as well as the aforementioned Moreno, before going the distance with the newly-crowned flyweight champion, Henry Cejudo.
Currently ranked No. 2, it’s not too far-fetched to believe “The Phenom” could earn a rematch — and his first ever title shot — against Cejudo should he defeat Formiga, which will either put him back into the headlining spot, or at the very least, a co-main event slot.
As for Anthony, he will officially co-headline UFC 229 as he welcomes back former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson into the Octagon after a year-long hiatus.