Anthony Pettis, the former UFC Lightweight champion, will be fighting under new promotion next year. Pettis decided to join the Professional Fighters League on a multi-fight deal, with the move being confirmed on Wednesday.
Pettis completed his UFC contract earlier this month with a win over Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Neal. The 33-year-old later fighter announced that he decided not to accept the offer to stay with the promotion and will instead see what the market offers.
Reportedly, Bellator and ONE showed a strong interest for Pettis, but he ended up choosing PFL as they came in with the best offer.
“I’m looking to make a run at another world championship, and the PFL format will allow me to do that in 12 months and do it again the following year at 170 pounds,” said Pettis. “The offer the PFL gave me was extremely fair and they presented it as a partnership. Ready for a new chapter and a fresh start. Gonna be a fun ride.”
Anthony Pettis made his MMA debut in 2007 with GFS and went on an 8-0 run that saw him win the GFS Lightweight Championship. In 2009, Pettis joined the WEC, where he also won a belt while posting a 5-1 record.
Pettis signed with the UFC in 2011 following an appearance on the reality show The Ultimate Fighter, and needed only three fights to get a UFC Lightweight champion belt. He defended his title once, before losing it against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185.
Pettis had three fights in 2020, starting the year with a loss to Carlos Diego Ferreira but winning against Donald Cerrone and Morono. He has a 24-11 record in MMA, with 11 of his wins coming via knockout.
