With the entire sport of MMA in a never-ending search for mainstream acceptance, a ho-hum event for the NBA or NFL can warm the UFC to its bones. Well, the UFC is feeling snug as a bug in a rug right now, with Wheaties officially unveiling its first box featuring a mixed martial artist—lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.
The box was revealed earlier today and fans were given a preview on the official Wheaties Twitter account:
The champ is here. pic.twitter.com/wmsevy9ds4
— Wheaties (@wheaties) December 4, 2014
Pettis, who captured the UFC lightweight championship in 2013, earned the honor by winning the “Who’s NEXT” fan voting contest. Consumers were allowed to vote between Pettis, United States Women’s National Soccer Team member Christen Press, Paralympic sprinter Blake Leeper, supercross and motocross champion Ryan Dungey and NCAA lacrosse star Rob Pannell.
Pettis revealed that he had won the competition in September on Instagram.
While Pettis has spent all of 2014 thus far recovering from a variety of injuries, he has kept himself quite busy. In June, it was announced that “Showtime” had come to terms with Reebok on a sponsorship deal alongside welterweight champion Johny Hendricks which put him ahead of the curve for the recently announced partnership between the UFC and the sports apparel company. He found the time to coach opposite Gilbert Melendez on The Ultimate Fighter season 20.
While those are all admirable accomplishments, Pettis now has to prove he deserves all the acclamation by facing Melendez on Saturday at UFC 181. If he can defeat the long-time Strikeforce champion, it will be his first title defense, and will silence many of his naysayers.
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