Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) matchmaker Sean Shelby is well aware that Anthony Pettis has hit a snag.
The former UFC lightweight champion has gone 1-4 in his last five bouts. In that span, he’s lost to Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez, Edson Barboza, and Max Holloway. Three of those fighters are either former or current UFC champions.
On a new episode of the “Watch List,” Shelby talked about Pettis’ slump (via MMAJunkie.com):
“All fighters go through this at some point in their career. I think (Pettis) came to a patch where he was experimenting, going down to ’45. I think he found out that the weight cut was diminishing returns for him. He’s back up at ’55, and he’s the one who really wanted this fight. He called me and was really pushing for it.”
He then discussed Pettis’ upcoming UFC 213 battle with Jim Miller on July 8. He believes fans are in for a barn burner.
“You know Jim Miller. I mean, Jim Miller doesn’t give an ‘F.’ He’s a guy that will fight anybody, any day of the week. You don’t even have to call him, and he’ll show up, and he was down for this fight – and on paper, it’s a really fun fight.”
You can view the “Watch List” below:
