5 Defining Moments: Anthony Pettis

Anthony Pettis appears to have passed his peak. What exactly that means for the rest of the 34-year-old Roufusport mainstay’s career remains to be seen.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder will draw his second assignment under the Professional Fighters League banner when he meets the undefeated Alex Martinez in the PFL 4 co-main event on June 10 at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Pettis signed with the PFL as a free agent in December following a long and successful run in the UFC. He made his promotional debut at PFL 1 on April 23, losing a unanimous decision to Clay Collard—a setback that left him behind the proverbial eight ball in the organization’s 2021 regular season standings.

In advance of Pettis’ forthcoming battle with Martinez, a look at five of the moments that have come to define him:

1. Eternal Highlight

No one will ever forget the first time Pettis encountered Benson Henderson in the cage. Their historic showdown in the WEC 53 headliner on Dec. 16, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona, served as the perfect final chapter for World Extreme Cagefighting, as Pettis and Henderson fought tooth and nail until the end. Even so, only one man could leave the Jobing.com Arena as the last WEC lightweight champion. Both lightweights landed their share of clean blows and traded submission attempts across 25 memorable minutes. Back and forth they fought into the fifth round, with neither Pettis nor the defending champion establishing a clear advantage on the scorecards. Then it happened. With precious seconds ticking off the clock, Pettis sprang off the cage, kicked Henderson in the face and dropped the MMA Lab standout where he stood. Though the impact failed to knock out “Smooth,” but the term “Showtime Kick” entered the mixed martial arts lexicon forever. Pettis went on to win a unanimous decision, drawing 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 marks from the judges.

2. Out on a Limb

Pettis once again served up the kryptonite for Henderson’s Superman in their long-awaited rematch. The Roufusport star submitted Henderson with a first-round armbar and captured the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight crown in the UFC 164 main event on Aug. 31, 2013 at the BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee. “Smooth” verbally submitted 4:31 into Round 1, as he was beaten for the first time inside the Octagon. “Showtime” withstood a relentless clinch game from the champion. He broke free late in the first round and delivered a series of blistering kicks to the body. A wild kick attempt left Pettis on the bottom, Henderson settling in his guard. In an instant, the challenger locked up the arm and, after a brief struggle, forced the submission. The defeat halted Henderson’s streak of seven straight wins and made Pettis the sixth undisputed lightweight titleholder in UFC history.

3. Ceding Control

Rafael dos Anjos had an answer for everything Pettis threw his way. The Brazilian flawlessly executed the game plan designed by Kings MMA frontman Rafael Cordeiro, as he laid claim to the lightweight championship with a unanimous decision over Pettis in the UFC 185 headliner on March 14, 2015 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. Dos Anjos pitched a shutout, winning all five rounds on all three scorecards. Pettis spun his wheels from the start and never recovered. Dos Anjos sent one left hand after another crashing into his face, secured nine takedowns and essentially manhandled the Roufusport representative across their 25-minute encounter. He outlanded Pettis in significant strikes, 90-54, and total strikes, 144-96, while also passing guard five times and moving to the Milwaukee native’s back in three of the five rounds.

4. No Small Wonder

“Showtime” tested the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s waters at 170 pounds and knocked out Stephen Thompson in the second round of their UFC Fight Night 148 main event on March 23, 2019 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The lights went out on Thompson 4:55 into Round 2, as the Music City crowd looked on in awe and wonder. Pettis’ decision to move to the welterweight division was met with widespread consternation, and for the better part of two rounds, it seemed warranted. Thompson measured “Showtime” from a safe distance, scored with check hooks, jabs and a variety of kicks, bloodied his nose and methodically built his lead. However, late in Round 2, Pettis sprang forward with a perfectly timed and exquisitely placed Superman punch, felling “Wonderboy” where he stood. The affable South Carolina-based karateka collapsed to the canvas unconscious and defenseless before being met with two more right hands, the victim in a “Knockout of the Year” contender.

5. Uncharted Territory

The Professional Fighters League threw plenty of promotional heft behind Pettis after he flew the Ultimate Fighting Championship coop and signed as a free agent. Perhaps more attention should have been paid to the aforementioned Collard. Damaging power punching combinations and merciless forward pressure spurred Collard to a unanimous decision over the former UFC and World Extreme Cagefighting titleholder in the PFL 1 headliner on April 23, 2021 at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Scores were 29-27, 29-27 and 29-28, all for Collard. Pettis spent much of the first round striking off of his back foot, as he attempted to counter his opponent’s aggression with leg and body kicks. He twice wound up on his back eating punches and leg kicks from an upright Collard, who refused invites into his full guard. The middle stanza was decisive. Collard targeted the Milwaukee native’s body, floored him twice with punches and seemed to be nearing the finish line. Pettis survived, drawing upon every ounce of guile he had stored in his 5-foot-10 frame. It nearly paid off. Pettis had “Cassius Clay” reeling with a head kick and flying knee late in the third round, but his attempts to close the deal went for naught. Collard managed to clear the cobwebs and ride out the remaining time.