ANTHONY PETTIS WON’T be eased into life in the UFC’s featherweight division.
Pettis (18-5), the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, is moving from 155lbs to 145lbs in an attempt to revive his career after three consecutive defeats.
The 29-year-old American will take on Brazil’s Charles Oliveira in an intriguing match-up at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver on 27 August — although the event’s headline bout will be announced at a later date, UFC vice president Tom Wright told FOX Sports.
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Pettis held the UFC’s lightweight belt as recently as 15 months ago, when he was widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world as he entered his second title defence — against Rafael dos Anjos.
However, his defeat to dos Anjos was followed by two further below-par performances and losses. He returned in January and came up short against Eddie Alvarez, before dropping his third decision on the trot to Edson Barboza in April.
Pettis was due to face Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title in August 2013 but was forced out due to an injury and the fight never took place. But following his recent defeat to Barboza, he revealed his intention to make a permanent move to the 145lbs division, where Ireland’s Conor McGregor is the reigning champion.
The clash with Oliveira should make for an interesting clash of styles, as Pettis pits his spectacular stand-up arsenal against the elite grappling of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Charles Oliveira David Becker
David Becker
Oliveira (21-5-1), who’s ranked seventh in the UFC’s featherweight division, most recently submitted Myles Jury back in December, although the win was tainted by the fact that he missed weight by nearly five pounds.
That result saw the 26-year-old bounce back from a first-round defeat to Max Holloway back in August, when the fight was stopped due to Oliveira sustaining a neck injury. Oliveira’s most notable wins have come against Jeremy Stephens, Nik Lentz and Darren Elkins.
Another pair of attractive featherweight bouts have also been announced for UFC Fight Night 92 on 6 August, when the UFC will head to Salt Lake City. Following his big win against Cole Miller earlier this month, Alex Caceres will take on 13th-ranked Yair Rodriguez, who scored a spectacular knockout of Andre Fili back in April.
On the same card, Cub Swanson (ranked sixth) will be aiming to show that he can still make an impact in the division when he faces 14th-ranked Tatsuya Kawajiri.
Former UFC lightweight champ Pettis gets tough introduction to life at featherweight
ANTHONY PETTIS WON’T be eased into life in the UFC’s featherweight division.
Pettis (18-5), the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, is moving from 155lbs to 145lbs in an attempt to revive his career after three consecutive defeats.
The 29-year-old American will take on Brazil’s Charles Oliveira in an intriguing match-up at UFC on FOX 21 in Vancouver on 27 August — although the event’s headline bout will be announced at a later date, UFC vice president Tom Wright told FOX Sports.
Pettis held the UFC’s lightweight belt as recently as 15 months ago, when he was widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world as he entered his second title defence — against Rafael dos Anjos.
However, his defeat to dos Anjos was followed by two further below-par performances and losses. He returned in January and came up short against Eddie Alvarez, before dropping his third decision on the trot to Edson Barboza in April.
Pettis was due to face Jose Aldo for the UFC featherweight title in August 2013 but was forced out due to an injury and the fight never took place. But following his recent defeat to Barboza, he revealed his intention to make a permanent move to the 145lbs division, where Ireland’s Conor McGregor is the reigning champion.
The clash with Oliveira should make for an interesting clash of styles, as Pettis pits his spectacular stand-up arsenal against the elite grappling of a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
Oliveira (21-5-1), who’s ranked seventh in the UFC’s featherweight division, most recently submitted Myles Jury back in December, although the win was tainted by the fact that he missed weight by nearly five pounds.
That result saw the 26-year-old bounce back from a first-round defeat to Max Holloway back in August, when the fight was stopped due to Oliveira sustaining a neck injury. Oliveira’s most notable wins have come against Jeremy Stephens, Nik Lentz and Darren Elkins.
Another pair of attractive featherweight bouts have also been announced for UFC Fight Night 92 on 6 August, when the UFC will head to Salt Lake City. Following his big win against Cole Miller earlier this month, Alex Caceres will take on 13th-ranked Yair Rodriguez, who scored a spectacular knockout of Andre Fili back in April.
On the same card, Cub Swanson (ranked sixth) will be aiming to show that he can still make an impact in the division when he faces 14th-ranked Tatsuya Kawajiri.
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Anthony Pettis Charles Oliveira fresh start mixed martial arts MMA UFC Ultimate Fighting Championship Vancouver