Anthony Pettis is returning to the Octagon on December 19.
After Leon Edwards vs. Khamzat Chimaev was off, it was reported Pettis was stepping up on short notice to battle Alex Morono on the card as the event needed another fight. When the fight was announced many were confused as to why “Showtime” took this fight against an unranked guy. However, for the former champ, he says there were a few reasons why he took the scrap.
“I was actually trying to get a fight for a while now. My mindset has been so sharp. I’ve gone back to being a student of the game and I feel myself moving over this plateau,” Pettis said to ESPN. “I feel like I was plateaued for a while and it was just never-ending, but last month I went to Colombia and got a stem-cell injection and I’ve been working with a sports psychiatrist. I have these tools in my mental game and I’m eager to put them to use. I’m making real progress as a martial artist and it’s felt so good to reinvent myself.
“I’m not obsessing about getting back to a belt or getting that next spot. This is my first chance to get back-to-back wins in a while,” he continued. “Let’s start back over, take this one step at a time. I feel amazing at 170 pounds. This opportunity opened up and I couldn’t say no to it.”
If Anthony Pettis wins on Dec. 19 he could be in line to get a top-10 welterweight next time out.
