Anthony Pettis has abandoned his featherweight experiment. After missing weight for an interim featherweight title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 206 in Toronto last December, the Roufusport product will return to lightweight this Summer. That’s according to a report from Combate, who note that the former WEC and UFC lightweight champion will take on veteran Jim Miller in his return.
Pettis (19-6), who has lost four of his last five, desperately needs a win in the bout, scheduled to take place at UFC 213 in Las Vegas. His lone win since 2014 came against Charles Oliveira in August of last year. Meanwhile, after losing his title to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185, “Showtime” has been on the wrong end of fights with Eddie Alvarez, Edson Barboza, and later Holloway.
Miller (28–9 (1)), meanwhile, is coming off a loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 208 in February. However, prior to that setback, he’d run up three straight wins over Takanori Gomi, Joe Lauzon, and Thiago Alves. The New Jersey native recently stated that he plans on retiring once he hits 30 fights in the UFC, a number that isn’t all that far off in his case. The bout with Pettis will mark the twenty-seventh bout in the promotion for Miller.
UFC 213 takes place in Las Vegas at the T-Mobile arena July 8, 2017.
