Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is fully aware of his recent struggles in the Octagon under the UFC banner.
Pettis has been on a roller coaster ride over his last few bouts. Since dropping the lightweight title to Rafael Dos Anjos back in March of 2015, he has suffered four losses in six fights. Part of that lack of success includes a stint in the featherweight division. He picked up a win at featherweight before an interim title bout with Max Holloway at UFC 206.
However, Pettis lost that bout and went back to lightweight. He then picked up a unanimous-decision win over Jim Miller at UFC 213. Pettis faced Dustin Poirier on November 11, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 120 but lost the fight after tapping out due to a broken rib in the third round, although it was announced as a TKO win.
Pettis is expected to face Michael Chiesa on at the upcoming UFC 223 pay-per-view event. The former UFC champion addressed his recent struggles in a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour.
“I’ve had some injuries in my fight career, but it was kinda just a dumb error,” Pettis explained Monday on The MMA Hour. “I didn’t clear the body triangle, I tried to twist out and I tore the cartilage in my ribs, so it was like a shock. I felt the pop and then I just didn’t know how bad it was until after the fight when I got x-rays.”
“Honestly, I’m the biggest critic of myself, [more so] than anybody [else] is,” Pettis said. “Everybody’s opinion is what they see in fights. They don’t see my training camps. They don’t see the stuff I go through to get to these fights. For me, even the (Jim) Miller fight wasn’t a great performance. I mean, I did well. It wasn’t the best performance. I just feel like it’s kind of a mental [issue].
“I will be back there, it’s just a matter of time,” Pettis added. “I won’t stay down forever. Obviously I’m still pushing, I’m still training, I’m still in the gym, I’m still getting better and I’ve just got to show it in my fights now. That’s the big thing. It’s something to do with that mental mindset. Honestly, for the Poirier fight, I warmed up at like 3 p.m. [and felt good] before the fight. If I would’ve fought Poirier at 3 p.m., I would’ve smoked him. And then, coming out at midnight when we fought out there, I just was flat. It was like a mental thing again, so that’s what I’m trying to figure out.”
UFC 223 is set to take place on Saturday, April 7, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The main card will air on pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET while the preliminary card will air on FOX Sports 1 at 8 p.m. ET and the promotion’s streaming service, UFC Fight Pass, at 6 p.m. ET.
“The theory that I had going into those last couple fights is that I [needed to stop] chasing, trying to be chasing that gold,” Pettis said. “I was trying to get that belt immediately. It was, ‘Next fight, who’s the next fight to get me to the belt, who’s the next fight to get me to the belt?’ [But I need to be] just fixing the holes in my games, and it’s just a mental thing, I guess, just getting my mental preparation better. I’m just going in there no matter what’s going on in my camp, whether I feel good or if I don’t feel good, just going out there, turning it on for 15 minutes and having a good performance.
“I’m not in this to be a gatekeeper,” Pettis added. “I’m not in this to have guys make their name off of me. I’ve been the best in the world. I know I can do it, it’s just taking my time and getting back there the right way.”
What are your thoughts on the current state of Pettis’ career and his comments in this interview? Sound off in the comment section below.
