Anthony Pettis is already gunning for featherweight gold
It was just over three years ago when Anthony Pettis was offered and accepted a featherweight title shot at Jose Aldo after he was waiting for a chance to compete for the belt at 155 pounds.
Unfortunately, injuries prevented the bout from ever taking place and Pettis eventually won the lightweight title instead, so his dream to win a belt at 145 pounds fell by the wayside.
Following a tough stretch that resulted in three straight losses, Pettis decided to once again try his hand at featherweight and the risk paid off after he submitted No. 6-ranked Charles Oliveira to win in his debut on Saturday night.
Considering he just took out a top-10 opponent on his first day in the division, Pettis isn't wasting any time gunning for the best fighters in the world because he still wants to add that featherweight title to his resume.
"So I'm trying to get down to that title shot so if it's (Max Holloway) or if it's somebody else, we'll figure it out," Pettis said at the post-fight press conference. "I'm going to sit down with my team and look at our performance and go from there."
Pettis had a strong start in his fight with Oliveira after rocketing a pair of kicks to the Brazilian's midsection that buckled him in the first round, and it appeared a knockout was imminent.
Oliveira survived and Pettis emptied his gas tank a bit looking for the finish so he admits there are still so me adjustments to be made as he moves forward in his new home at 145 pounds.
Actually, Pettis says he wasn't even sure he'd make it down to featherweight until he finally got through the final few days and then regained his strength ahead of the bout on Saturday night.
"I didn't even know if I could make the weight to be honest," Pettis said. "I was like 146, never seen it before, we made the weight now I'll map it out, figure out where I want to go.
"Just feels good to get back in the win column."
Pettis' entry into the 145-pound weight class gives the division yet another contender to vie for an eventual title shot with Conor McGregor still standing tall as champion while Aldo is currently holding the interim belt in the Irishman's absence.
