UFC 226: Anthony Pettis plans to get back to his roots in fight with Michael Chiesa
What a wild ride former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has been on. Pettis was originally scheduled to face off with his opponent this week at UFC 226, Michael Chiesa, in April until Murphy's law took effect.
Chiesa was on the bus the Conor McGregor infamously attacked after UFC 223 media day in Brooklyn when he threw a dolly threw the window, sending shattered glass everywhere, including Chiesa's face. With Chiesa pulled for medical reasons, Pettis appeared to be left without an opponent, but when first stand-in for the the lightweight title fight, Max Holloway, was deemed medically unfit to continue his weight cut, Pettis stepped on the scale and appeared to be close to facing off with Khabib Nurmagomedov. He came in 0.2 over the 155-pound limit, but was never heard from again.
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Now, three months later, Pettis is back at square one and facing off with Chiesa in a fight that could help shape the health of the 155-pound division. CBS Sports talked with Pettis ahead of his bout with Chiesa in April and he said that this fight is all about getting back to basics.
"I let these guys talk me into needing to wrestle. I'm not a wrestler," Pettis told CBS Sports. "My body's not built for wrestling. I'm a striker with great jiu-jitsu and I got back to that. I got back to my roots of going to finish these guys and not defend takedowns. My last couple camps, I've been like 'I got to defend the takedown. I have to stay off the ground.' F--- that. I'm gonna go out there and just fight this guy."
Pettis (20-7, 7 KO) is most known for his superman head kick off the fence back in WEC. For the former champion who is just 2-5 in his last seven fights to be successful, he may need to pull out a few more tricks like that.
"I'm just gonna bring my natural aggression that's in my blood to fight, and that's what got me to the title. I wanted it bad," Pettis said. "I wanted to win and I didn't care if I didn't know how to wrestle. I didn't care if I knew how to do a proper fireman's carry. I just want to go out there and fight these guys."
Pettis is now trying to chase down the man he appeared close to fighting in April, somebody he admittedly didn't know much about when he carried the title.
"It's crazy because when I was the champ, Khabib was, I remember I was in an interview and he was asking for a title shot and I didn't know who he was really and now you see him challenging for the belt," Pettis said in April. "This sport just grows and continues to grow. There's so many guys that want this bad, its great to see, I love it."