Tag: Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis Suffers Meniscus Tear; No Decision on Weight Class for Next Fight

Injuries play a part in any sport, but it was hard to hear the news on Friday that one of the most-anticipated fights of the summer would no longer happen, as, according to Dana White, Anthony Pettis suffered a knee injury in training, forcing him out …

Injuries play a part in any sport, but it was hard to hear the news on Friday that one of the most-anticipated fights of the summer would no longer happen, as, according to Dana White, Anthony Pettis suffered a knee injury in training, forcing him out of his scheduled bout against Jose Aldo at UFC 163.

Pettis has been preparing for the bout for several months and just recently made his first attempt at cutting down to featherweight for the fight with Aldo.

Now, the Milwaukee-based fighter will have to sit on the sidelines while “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung gets the title fight against Aldo instead.

Just after the news was released by the UFC that Pettis was injured, the fighter took to his Twitter page to update his condition and explain what happened to keep him out of the fight. According to Pettis, he suffered a small tear in his meniscus, which likely won’t require any kind of surgery that would put him on the shelf for any long period of time.

Most small tears of the meniscus are treated with rest and staying off of the injured knee for two to three weeks.  

Pettis‘ manager, Mike Roberts, told Bleacher Report on Friday that he’s not expected to be out for any extended period of time, but given that he would have to be off for several weeks from training, there was no way to take the fight August 3 against Aldo.

Pettis was dropping down to featherweight specifically for the chance to face Aldo at UFC 163 in August.  Prior to this fight, he’d spent his entire career at 155 pounds, where he was the WEC lightweight champion. He also picked up a win over current UFC titleholder Benson Henderson.

According to Roberts, the decision about what weight class Pettis‘ next fight will take place remains undecided.  With Aldo now locked up for the UFC 163 fight against Jung, it’s likely that Pettis would have to sit even longer to get a shot at the featherweight belt. 

Meanwhile, the UFC lightweight title will be up for grabs on August 28 when Henderson faces T.J. Grant in the main event of UFC 164 in Milwaukee.  If Henderson wins, it could set up a huge rematch with Pettis before the close of 2013.

For now, however, Pettis remains sitting dejected on the sidelines, dealing with an injured knee while contemplating what could have been.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

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Jose Aldo Will Face Chan Sung Jung in UFC 163 After Anthony Pettis’ Injury

The fight set to headline UFC 163 on Aug. 3 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil has hit a major snag.Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (16-2) had dropped weight to take on featherweight champion Jose “Scarface” Aldo (22-1) for his title, but a knee injury to Pettis has …

The fight set to headline UFC 163 on Aug. 3 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil has hit a major snag.

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (16-2) had dropped weight to take on featherweight champion Jose “Scarface” Aldo (22-1) for his title, but a knee injury to Pettis has forced Dana White to replace him with “The Korean Zombie” Chang Sung Jung (13-3).

While the Korean Zombie is certainly a formidable challenger to Aldo, he doesn’t have the star power that Pettis has.

Showtime is one of the most dynamic strikers in the sport, and he’s extremely underrated on the ground. He is also the last man to defeat lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

Seeing him challenge Aldo—one of the pound-for-pound best—would have been exciting, but it won’t be happening any time soon.

Pettis was the No. 1 contender for Henderson’s lightweight title after destroying “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6 in January. Despite his standing as No. 1 contender, Pettis told Matt McNulty of The New York Post, he was tired of waiting on a title shot at lightweight.

He had planned to make a temporary move to featherweight before resuming his quest for the lightweight crown. Those plans have obviously been dashed and there is no word on what Pettis’ next move will be.

Jung himself had other plans, but leaped at the opportunity to challenge for Aldo’s title. Per MMA Weekly, The Korean Zombie was set to take on Ricardo Llamas at UFC 162, but this opportunity is clearly more enticing.

UFC 163’s main event could still be entertaining, but Pettis’ removal could be seen as a bit of a letdown.

 

Follow me, because Royce Gracie started me on this MMA path, and now I’m out of control.

 


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Anthony Pettis Out of UFC 163 With Knee Injury; ‘Korean Zombie’ to Replace Him Against Jose Aldo

(Replace the number ‘162’ with ‘163’, and this promo is still pretty damn relevant. / Props: TheSuperactiontv)

Anthony Pettis‘s divisional line-cutting has apparently angered the vengeful MMA Gods, who have struck down the crowd-pleasing striker with a knee injury. UFC president Dana White just confirmed the bad news, saying that Pettis is officially out of his scheduled featherweight title fight against Jose Aldo, which was slated to go down at UFC 163, August 3rd at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Pettis described the injury as a “small tear in my meniscus,” but didn’t give a specific timetable on his return.

So that’s the bad news. The good news is, Pettis has already been replaced by a title-challenger who’s actually earned a crack at the 145-pound belt: Chan Sung Jung, better known to us Westerners as “The Korean Zombie.” Jung was originally scheduled to face Ricardo Lamas in a likely #1 contender bout at UFC 162 next month, but has now been fast-tracked to a title fight in order to rescue the UFC 163 main event.

“TKZ” is 3-0 in the UFC, with incredible stoppage victories against Leonard Garcia (via twister submission), Mark Hominick (via seven-second KO), and Dustin Poirier (via d’arce choke, in a Fight of the Year candidate last May).

So who’s your pick in Aldo vs. Zombie? And is this a more interesting matchup to you than Aldo vs. Pettis?


(Replace the number ’162′ with ’163′, and this promo is still pretty damn relevant. / Props: TheSuperactiontv)

Anthony Pettis‘s divisional line-cutting has apparently angered the vengeful MMA Gods, who have struck down the crowd-pleasing striker with a knee injury. UFC president Dana White just confirmed the bad news, saying that Pettis is officially out of his scheduled featherweight title fight against Jose Aldo, which was slated to go down at UFC 163, August 3rd at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. Pettis described the injury as a “small tear in my meniscus,” but didn’t give a specific timetable on his return.

So that’s the bad news. The good news is, Pettis has already been replaced by a title-challenger who’s actually earned a crack at the 145-pound belt: Chan Sung Jung, better known to us Westerners as “The Korean Zombie.” Jung was originally scheduled to face Ricardo Lamas in a likely #1 contender bout at UFC 162 next month, but has now been fast-tracked to a title fight in order to rescue the UFC 163 main event.

“TKZ” is 3-0 in the UFC, with incredible stoppage victories against Leonard Garcia (via twister submission), Mark Hominick (via seven-second KO), and Dustin Poirier (via d’arce choke, in a Fight of the Year candidate last May).

So who’s your pick in Aldo vs. Zombie? And is this a more interesting matchup to you than Aldo vs. Pettis?

Anthony Pettis Injured, Korean Zombie Now Fights Jose Aldo at UFC 163

Get this one: An injury has compromised a major upcoming UFC title fight. Luckily, this time there were plenty of other deserving challengers waiting in the wings. UFC president Dana White tweeted minutes ago that Anthony Pettis injured his knee a…

Get this one: An injury has compromised a major upcoming UFC title fight. Luckily, this time there were plenty of other deserving challengers waiting in the wings. 

UFC president Dana White tweeted minutes ago that Anthony Pettis injured his knee and is out of the headlining UFC 163 bout against featherweight champ Jose Aldo. 

Filling in for him will be Chan-Sung Jung, better known by his nickname, “The Korean Zombie.” 

Pettis, the last reigning WEC lightweight champ, was announced to fight “Scarface” in February, after he texted White indicating that he’d prefer dropping down a weight class instead of waiting for a shot at 155 pounds (via MMA Junkie). 

“Showtime” had his UFC debut spoiled by Clay Guida in June of 2011 but has since rattled off three straight wins against Jeremy Stephens, Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone. 

Coincidentally, Jung recently told BJPenn.com that Pettis “cut in line” and should have to earn a shot at the featherweight title like everyone else. 

The Korean Zombie is a big fan favorite, riding a ton of momentum after earning four “Fight Night” bonuses in three bouts between March 2011 and May 2012. 

Jung earned “Submission of the Night” honors for submitting Leonard Garcia with a twister at UFC Fight Night 24, the first fighter in UFC history to execute the spine/neck crank hold. 

He then earned the “Knockout of the Night” award for knocking out former title challenger Mark Hominick in just seven seconds at UFC 140, before earning both “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” bonuses against Dustin Poirier at UFC on FUEL 3. 

After 16 minutes of high-paced action, Jung tapped “The Diamond” with a D’arce choke early in the fourth round. 

Jung had been on the shelf for a while following shoulder surgery but was set to return against fellow contender Ricardo Lamas at UFC 162 next month. 

The UFC has not immediately announced if Lamas will still have an opponent for the July 6 pay-per-view event.

Will The Korean Zombie be able to pull off a major upset, or will Aldo add another highlight-reel finish to his impressive resume?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show. 

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Anthony Pettis Talks Jose Aldo: ‘My Stand Up Is Something He’s Never Seen’

There was little doubt following Anthony Pettis’ first-round knockout over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone back in January that he was the new No. 1 contender in the lightweight division. The victory marked his second straight knockout win in a row (the first …

There was little doubt following Anthony Pettis‘ first-round knockout over Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone back in January that he was the new No. 1 contender in the lightweight division.

The victory marked his second straight knockout win in a row (the first came over Joe Lauzon in 2012), and with Pettis already holding a win over UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson, everything seemed in place for his title shot.

That was until in an unexpected move, Pettis offered to move down to the featherweight division and face champion Jose Aldo.  At the time, Pettis was concerned about how long he’d have to wait to fight Henderson and thought a bout against Aldo would be something the UFC and the fans would get behind.

It didn’t take UFC president Dana White long to make the call, and just days later, Pettis had his fight with Aldo for the UFC featherweight title.

Now with a few months to go until August, when he’ll step into the cage with Aldo in his home country of Brazil as the main event at UFC 163, Pettis is still excited about the fight, but he wants to make it clear that this move to 145 pounds was all about this matchup and not to pick up the UFC title.

“Aldo’s name is what intrigues me.  He’s the champ, but his name, he’s one of the pound-for-pound best in the world around my weight class,” Pettis said in a recent interview with Bleacher Report.  “So that’s why this fight is so intriguing to me.”

To prepare for Aldo and the featherweight division, Pettis will do a test weight cut down to 145 pounds in about a week to see how his body reacts to the extra 10 pounds he’ll need to shed.  Pettis says he’s not too worried about the weight but wants to test things out just to see how he feels.

Assuming everything goes well, Pettis will then begin his full training camp to get ready for the showdown with Aldo in August.

The fight with the UFC’s top featherweight also gives Pettis the chance to face another top-level striker, something he says he’s not really had since signing to the WEC back in 2009.

“My whole career I’ve been fighting wrestlers,” Pettis stated.  “If you look back, all of my fights have been against wrestlers.  Give me some strikers in front of me and you see how I perform.  Another great reason why I chose to fight Aldo: He’s a great fighter, he’s a stand-up guy and he’s going to test me.”

As elated as he is to face an elite stand-up fighter, Pettis was quick to point out, however, that as good as Aldo is, he won’t be able to hang with the former WEC champion once the fists and feet start flying.

“I feel like my stand-up’s something he’s never seen,” Pettis said.  “He’s not going to be able to find training partners that can do what I do.  I’m used to the leg kicks.  I’ve been kicked there since I was five, so I feel like my range is longer than him. I’m bigger than him, I can match him in speed and power and I’ve got a style like nobody else’s.”

If the fight with Aldo goes well, Pettis has made no bones about his desire to eventually move back to the lightweight division and settle things with Henderson in that division as well.  For now, his focus can only be on Aldo, but there is no denying he will be a lightweight again one day.

“Aldo’s in my way, I can’t really think about ‘let’s move back to 55.’  Let’s see what happens at 45 first and then I’ll make my decision from there,” Pettis stated.  “155 is my home.  I’ve got a guy like Aldo in front of me, that’s enough for me to focus on.  Jose Aldo is next and that’s all I’m focusing on.”

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Anthony Pettis Kicking the Sh*t Out of These Brazilian ‘Jackass’-Wannabes Is Guaranteed to Make You Smile [VIDEO]

(Props: lafenixtv)

Whenever MMA fighters do a media segment where they’re supposed to beat up the host, they usually hold back a bit to avoid a lawsuit. (Unless we’re talking about Alistair Overeem sparring with a female reporter. Then, it’s…well, you know.) So it’s pretty damn hilarious to see UFC featherweight title contender Anthony Pettis going close to 100% on the stunt-comedy team La Fenix, as he does in the video above. We’ve tabbed out the highlights for your convenience…

0:00-0:20: The fat guy on the left. I can’t look away.
1:05: Bro in the hat and shades gets kicked in the ass. Hard.
1:15: Victim #2 explains that it’s his dream to get punched in the face. Anthony punches him in the face. Real hard. When the victim regains his senses, he says, “Jose Aldo, you are so fucked up.” Oh boy. That’s grounds for a treason charge in Brazil.
1:52: We see that the fat guy has a lazy eye and braces. He gets kicked in the belly…twice. Jesus, man. This wasn’t part of the deal.
3:25: Pettis jams a turning side-kick into a guy rolled up in bubble-wrap.
3:52: Pettis starts to beat the ever-loving shit out of the guy rolled up in bubble-wrap.
4:06: For a moment, I begin to feel bad for the guy rolled up in bubble-wrap.
4:27: This beating is still going on? Unbelievable.
5:08: The moment you’ve all been waiting for — the Showtime Kick.
5:59: “Holy sheetzch.”


(Props: lafenixtv)

Whenever MMA fighters do a media segment where they’re supposed to beat up the host, they usually hold back a bit to avoid a lawsuit. (Unless we’re talking about Alistair Overeem sparring with a female reporter. Then, it’s…well, you know.) So it’s pretty damn hilarious to see UFC featherweight title contender Anthony Pettis going close to 100% on the stunt-comedy team La Fenix, as he does in the video above. We’ve tabbed out the highlights for your convenience…

0:00-0:20: The fat guy on the left. I can’t look away.
1:05: Bro in the hat and shades gets kicked in the ass. Hard.
1:15: Victim #2 explains that it’s his dream to get punched in the face. Anthony punches him in the face. Real hard. When the victim regains his senses, he says, “Jose Aldo, you are so fucked up.” Oh boy. That’s grounds for a treason charge in Brazil.
1:52: We see that the fat guy has a lazy eye and braces. He gets kicked in the belly…twice. Jesus, man. This wasn’t part of the deal.
3:25: Pettis jams a turning side-kick into a guy rolled up in bubble-wrap.
3:52: Pettis starts to beat the ever-loving shit out of the guy rolled up in bubble-wrap.
4:06: For a moment, I begin to feel bad for the guy rolled up in bubble-wrap.
4:27: This beating is still going on? Unbelievable.
5:08: The moment you’ve all been waiting for — the Showtime Kick.
5:59: “Holy sheetzch.”