Since losing the UFC lightweight title in 2015 to Rafael dos Anjos, Anthony Pettis has not been his usual “Showtime” self. Prior to Saturday night’s fight against Michael Chiesa at UFC 226, the 31-year-old Milwaukee native went on a 2-4 run, including two fights at featherweight.
Pettis now feels rejuvenated after scoring a huge second-round submission win over Chiesa. According to him, he was now able to not worry too much about defending takedowns, which he attributes his recent losses to.
“It feels good to go in there with confidence.