[Exclusive] Anthony Pettis moving back to lightweight in 2021: "Lightweight is where I'm gonna be focusing"
Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis is set to make a return to his old stomping grounds. Ahead of his fight this weekend at UFC Vegas 17, Showtime revealed that 155 is where he will be focusing on in 2021.
While speaking to Sportskeeda during the UFC Vegas 17 virtual media day, Pettis claimed that he was already on the path to go back to 155. However, Showtime didn't refuse to fight Alex Morono when the offer was made, and he will be competing at welterweight in what will be his final fight of 2020.
"Yeah, I was going back to lightweight. I was already on the path to going back down to 155 but this opportunity popped up, so I was like 'Yo, I gotta take this. One more fight for 2020'. So I feel like lightweight is where I'm gonna be focusing on for all next year."
This weekend will mark Anthony Pettis' return to the octagon for the first time since UFC 249. The former lightweight champion last won against Donald Cerrone in what was the first UFC pay-per-view on the pandemic, and Showtime will also close out the final preliminary card of 2020 against Alex Morono.
Anthony Pettis returns to lightweight in 2021
Anthony Pettis is no stranger to the UFC's lightweight division. In 2013, Showtime would defeat his arch-rival Benson Henderson to win the UFC lightweight title, in a fight that was a rematch between the pair from the final ever WEC event.
Heading back to the lightweight division, the options could be endless for Anthony Pettis in a division full of talented men. The 155 division currently consists of Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, Tony Ferguson, Charles Oliveira, Michael Chandler, and Dustin Poirier among other notable names. Pettis could very well turn out to be a problem if he's thrown right into the mix in the UFC's lightweight division come 2021.
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