Anthony Pettis vs Alex Morono added to Dec. 19 UFC Fight Night card following cancelation of main event
The UFC Fight Night offering on December 19th will have a new attraction added, with Anthony Pettis taking on Alex Morono in a welterweight contest.
According to ESPN's Brett Okamoto, the contracts have not been signed, but both sides have agreed to the fight:
Okamoto added that Pettis is already training in Las Vegas, and could not pass up the opportunity.
The Pettis-Morono matchup was added to the card following the cancellation of the scheduled main event between welterweight contenders Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. The bout was scrapped due to Edwards testing positive for COVID-19.
The 33-year old Anthony Pettis is a former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, and he is looking to get a winning streak going before 2020 ends.
Since losing the UFC lightweight championship back in 2015, Pettis has struggled to return to his old form, going 5-7 in his last 12 outings. 'Showtime' will be looking to build on the momentum of his most recent Octagon appearance, a unanimous decision win over Donald Cerrone back in May.
Standing opposite Anthony Pettis will be Alex Morono, who has been solid since making his UFC debut back in 2016. The 30-year old Texas native has notable wins over Kyle Noke, James Moontasri, and Josh Burkman.
Morono is 4-1 in his last five bouts, with his lone loss coming against knockout artist Khaos Williams. In his most recent Octagon appearance back in November, Morono defeated Rhys McKee by unanimous decision.
Anthony Pettis not rushing to return to title contention
Anthony Pettis is one of few people who can say that they are former UFC and WEC world champions.
The last time that AnthonyPettis had gold around his waist however, was back in 2015 however, and his UFC run has been quite rough since.
Since losing the title to Rafael dos Anjos back in 2015, Pettis has gone 5-7 in the UFC, but is now looking to kickstart a new winning streak. Following his win over Donald Cerrone back in May, Pettis returns to action later this month against Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas.
Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Pettis says that he's been trying to get back in action before the end of the year.
Anthony Pettis also added that he isn't in a hurry to regain his status as a title contender:
"I'm not obsessing about getting back to a belt, or getting that next spot. This is my first chance to get back-to-back wins in a while. Let's start back over, take this one step at a time. I feel amazing at 170 pounds. This opportunity opened up and I couldn't say no to it."
Anthony Pettis will face a tough test in Morono, who is 4-1 in his last five fights, and is coming off a decision win against Rhys McKee back in November.