Anthony Pettis

Pettis faced Carlos Diego Ferreira in a lightweight bout on January 18, 2020 at UFC 246. He lost the fight due to a rear naked choke in the second round.

Pettis faced Donald Cerrone in a rematch on May 9, 2020 at UFC 249. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

On January 19, 2019, it was announced that Pettis would be returning to Welterweight for the first time since 2008 to face Stephen Thompson. This fight served as the headliner of UFC on ESPN+ 6 on March 23, 2019. Pettis won the fight via knockout in the second round, becoming the first man to knock out Thompson in his entire MMA and kickboxing career. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Pettis faced Nate Diaz on August 17, 2019 at UFC 241. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

He started training taekwondo and boxing at the age of 5. In college he also started wrestling. When he went to train mixed martial arts at Roufusport at the age of 18, he had already a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo. He later trained in capoeira.

Pettis was expected to face Michael Chiesa on April 7, 2018, at UFC 223, but the bout was cancelled two days before the event after Chiesa was injured in an incident in which Conor McGregor hurled a dolly through the window of the bus Chiesa was in. The shards of the shattered window cut Chiesa, who was deemed unfit to fight by the athletic commission. On April 6, 2018, UFC Featherweight Champion Max Holloway was declared medically unfit by the New York State Athletic Commission and was pulled from his main event fight against Khabib Nurmagomedov. Pettis accepted the opportunity to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223 for the lightweight championship on a days notice with the hope of getting $1,000,000 for the fight. The UFC declined paying him this much money and the deal fell through.

Pettis faced Tony Ferguson on October 6, 2018, at UFC 229. He lost the bout via TKO (corner stoppage) after two back and forth rounds. Pettis' longtime coach and cornerman, Duke Roufus informed the referee that he would not continue after suffering a broken hand. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night award.

Pettis faced Jim Miller in a lightweight bout on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Pettis faced Dustin Poirier on November 11, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 120. Pettis lost the fight via TKO after tapping out due to a broken rib when Poirier applied a body triangle in the third round. This fight also won him the Fight of the Night bonus award.

Pettis faced Eddie Alvarez on January 17, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 81. He lost the fight by split decision.

Pettis faced Edson Barboza on April 23, 2016, at UFC 197. Pettis lost the fight via unanimous decision.

On the heels of a three-fight losing streak, Pettis announced in June 2016 his intention to drop to featherweight for his next fight. Pettis fought Charles Oliveira in his featherweight debut on August 27, 2016, at UFC on Fox 21. Pettis won the fight via guillotine choke in the 3rd round.

Pettis faced Max Holloway for the interim UFC Featherweight Championship on December 10, 2016, at UFC 206. At the weigh-ins, Pettis came in at 148 pounds, three pounds over the featherweight limit of 145 lbs. for a championship fight. As a result, in the event that Pettis were to win the fight with Holloway, he would be ineligible for the UFC championship. Pettis was also fined 20% of his purse, which went to Holloway and the bout proceeded at a catchweight. Pettis is the first fighter to miss weight for a UFC championship bout since Travis Lutter at UFC 67 in February 2007. He lost the fight via TKO in the third round.

Pettis was expected to face Myles Jury on July 25, 2015, at UFC on Fox 16. However, Pettis pulled out of the bout citing another injury and was replaced by Edson Barboza.

José Aldo again was in talks to fight Pettis after defending his title against Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169. At the post-fight press conference, Aldo expressed interest to move up and fight Pettis at 155 lbs. However, those plans were quickly refuted as Pettis was selected to serve as a coach on The Ultimate Fighter 20, opposite Gilbert Melendez and the two would face each other at UFC 181 on December 6, 2014. Pettis won the fight via guillotine choke in the second round, becoming the first man to finish Melendez. He also earned a Performance of the Night bonus award.

On June 30, 2014, it was announced that Pettis signed a sponsorship deal with Reebok.

In the fall of 2014, Pettis was voted to be the first UFC champion to appear on the cover of General Mills' Wheaties box wearing his belt. The box appeared in stores in early 2015. However, when the box came out Anthony Pettis had already lost his belt to dos Anjos.

His last WEC fight came against Benson Henderson on December 16 at WEC 53 for the WEC Lightweight Championship. The fight was closely contested throughout, providing back and forth action, both standing and on the ground. In the fifth round Pettis ran up the cage, jumped off the cage, then landed a switch kick while airborne. Sports reporters later named this the Showtime Kick. Pettis won the fight via unanimous decision (48–47, 49–46, 48–47) to become the final WEC Lightweight Champion. The fight was also awarded as Fight of the Night which won Henderson and Pettis an extra $10,000.

Pettis was expected to face the winner of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, which took place at UFC 125. However, the bout was declared a draw, and Edgar–Maynard 3 was scheduled for UFC 130, but both fighters sustained injuries before the fight, which was postponed.

After spending the majority of 2012 recovering from a litany of injuries, Pettis faced Donald Cerrone on January 26, 2013, at UFC on Fox 6. Pettis won the fight by TKO in the first round, finishing Cerrone with a kick to the body. The performance also earned Pettis Knockout of the Night honors. After the victory, Dana White said he was "sold" on Pettis and admitted that after Benson Henderson against Gilbert Melendez on UFC on Fox 7, Pettis was to be the next to fight for the lightweight title.

On December 2, 2013, Pettis received a Certificate of Achievement by the Governor of Wisconsin, Scott Walker.

In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As part of the merger, a majority of the WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

Pettis was expected to make his promotional debut against Anthony Njokuani on April 5, 2009, at WEC 40. However, Pettis pulled out of the fight with a hand injury and was replaced by Bart Palaszewski.

Anthony Pettis made his professional MMA debut in December 2007. He compiled a record of 8–0 in all fights being held by Adam Sandoval and Duke Roufus before debuting with the World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC), winning the Gladiator Fighting Series Lightweight Championship. His last fight before joining the WEC was a short notice welterweight bout. Pettis also has a professional kickboxing background. In MMA, Pettis is known for his smooth and technical fighting style, as well as his athletic feats and wide range of techniques.

On November 12, 2003, Pettis' father was stabbed to death by a robber at a friend's house.

Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist, currently signed to the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he competes in the welterweight and lightweight divisions. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion. Pettis was also the final WEC Lightweight Champion prior to the promotion being merged into the UFC. As of March 17, 2020, he is #15 in the UFC welterweight rankings.

Pettis was born on January 27, 1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Annette (née Garcia) and Eugene Pettis Jr. He grew up in the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along with his older brother, Reynaldo Pettis and younger brother, Sergio Pettis, who fights in the flyweight division. Pettis is of Puerto Rican and Mexican ancestry. His grandfather, Eugenio Pérez, Anglicized the family name from Pérez to Pettis to avoid discrimination. Pettis attended Dominican High School.