The Resurrection Of Anthony Pettis

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall" Confucius

At one stage Anthony Pettis was on Top of the World, He was UFC's Top Champion and one of the faces of the organisation. Coming From WEC to the UFC he was one of the New Generation of Fighters that everyone was excited about, he had the skills,the look and the ability to transend Boundaries. His moment of Glory was back in UFC 164, when a last minute replacement seen Pettis face Rival Benson Henderson for the Lightweight Title. Winning the fight by First Round Submission, In his Hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Pettis Era was Born. With the win came Fame,Endorsements and the feeling of a life goal achieved. Pettis was a superstar with everything in his reach. He would go onto successfully defend his LW title against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181, a Year and four months after winning the title. It only took a few months later in 2015, For Pettis to step back into the octagon, looking to defend his belt for a second time.Pettis would go on to face Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 185, Where for 5 rounds,RDA would go onto Maul Pettis. The Fairytale was over for Pettis, but the story doesn't get better unfortunately. After Losing his Belt in such a devastating fashion, Something happened to Pettis, Injury (which was not new to him) seen him Sidelined and not seen in the octagon again, until a year after losing his title. Personal problems began for Pettis and seen him not focus on upcoming fights. He would later go onto lose to Eddie Alvarez and Edson Barboza, which Critics started to say, Maybe Pettis best days where behind him. Something was clearly off, with the divsion moving forward and New Superstars emerging, Pettis fell off and the fans interest started to wear off. After a 3 fight losing streak, Pettis wanted a change of scenery, where he dropped down to Featherweight, where In the past, he has wanted to do looking for a Super-Fight with then Champ Jose Aldo. Pettis would Break his 3 fight skid by defeating Charles Oliviera in August 2016 and later would be granted a shot at the Interim Featherweight title against Max Holloway later on that year in December. However, disaster struck as Pettis came in over-weight for the fight, meaning even if he wins, he would not become Champion. He would lose by TKO, it would be his last fight in that divsion. Pettis returned to his natural weight class in 2017 where he would get back in the win column, winning a bout with Veteran Jim Miller by decision. Pettis always claimed that he wanted his title back and wanted to face the top of the divsion, he would get that opportunity later in 2017 fighting Dustin Poirer. It was the fight of the Night, but yet again, Pettis was sidelined when he Substrained a rib injury in the fight. Pettis would not be seen again until 2018. Pettis was given a huge opportunity in 2018, he was set to return against Michael Chiesa at UFC 223, but Chiesa was injured in the now infamous McGregor bus attack, where Chiesa suffered an eye injury. Khabib Nurmagomedov was meant to face Tony Fergusson, but Tony got injured. UFC seen a replacement in Max Holloway but Max wasn't cleared by Doctors, The UFC then asked Pettis to step in on a day's notice. This could of been Pettis's big comeback, a shot at the title, the same title he vowed to get back. Pettis would agree to face Khabib and save the main event, Only if the UFC paid him $1 million. The deal was Shutdown immediately. The bout between Pettis and Chiesa was rescheduled, where Pettis would go on to win. Pettis would go onto welcome Tony Fergusson back to the UFC later on in 2018. The fight gave Pettis everything that he was missing, Both Pettis and Fergusson would go to War for Two rounds. The fight would be called off due to Pettis breaking his hand in the fight, even though he lost, The Fans gave praise to Pettis for his performance and Toughest. It was rewarded Fight of The Night. Pettis was back in the spotlight after years of ups and downs, He stated he was in a better place in his life and that he lost his way, his goal was still to recapture the title his lost back in 2015 and that has never changed. Pettis was back. Pettis would continue this momentum in 2019, when for the first time in his career since 2008, moved up to Welterweight to face Stephen Thompson. Pettis shocked the MMA world and by KO'ing Wonderboy by a Superman Punch, a much needed Highlight reel Finnish. Fans and critics alike praised Pettis and knew that this was a different fighter then before, a much more focused and determined more then ever. Now With UFC 241 right around the corner, Pettis has his chance to right all the wrongs and continue this rebirth of his, When he comes face to face with Nate Diaz. With everything that has happened to Anthony Pettis over the years, this is now his time to prove to the MMA World that he belongs at the top with the rest of the fighters. He is no Journey-Man. This is the resurrection of Anthony Pettis. Marc Meepmma/52ndmma