Anthony “Showtime” Pettis closed out the WEC organization’s existence with a bang and a loud announcement: I’m a threat to anyone and I will end fights in a spectacular fashion.
Since capturing the WEC lightweight championship at WEC 53 with the kick heard around the world against Ben Henderson, Pettis stumbled into UFC competition.
Pettis was slated to be the No. 1 contender for the lightweight title that was supposed to be settled at UFC 125. In light of the draw that happened between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, a monkey wrench was thrown in Pettis’ plans.
Since those two were occupied in preparing for a rematch, Pettis elected to stay busy and fought Clay Guida at the Ultimate Fighter 13 finale. Guida dominated with his wrestling and ignored the submission attempts from Pettis en route to a unanimous decision victory.
No longer the No. 1 contender in a muddled lightweight division, Pettis has to fight his way back to the top. Jeremy Stephens stands in his way on Saturday night. In order for Pettis to get back into title contention, he probably needs two or three solid wins while the title picture clears up.
A win versus Stephens won’t put Pettis in a title fight, but it will put him up against one of the top-tier fighters to get himself back in the talk for a title fight. Perhaps he can be the introduction into the UFC for Gilbert Melendez? Who knows, but a win will do a lot for his title aspirations and his psyche.
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