LAS VEGAS – Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis and flyweight contender Sergio Pettis once vowed they’d never fight on the same card again. So why are they doing just that on Saturday at UFC 197?
Anthony and younger brother Sergio both fought – and won – at UFC 181 in late 2014. But four months later, at UFC 185, Sergio suffered a TKO loss to Ryan Benoit on the prelims, and Anthony then lost his lightweight belt to Rafael dos Anjos in a lopsided pay-per-view headliner.
Following the stress of watching his brother’s loss and then trying to mentally adjust for his title fight, Anthony said he’d never do it again and vowed they wouldn’t share a card. But here we are on the eve of UFC 197, with Anthony (18-4 MMA, 5-3 UFC) fighting lightweight Edson Barboza (16-4 MMA, 10-4 UFC) on the PPV main card and Sergio (13-2 MMA, 4-2 UFC) closing out the FOX Sports 1-televised prelims against flyweight Chris Kelades (9-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena
So what happened?
“We kind of blamed each other,” Sergio said with a smile. “I’d say his fight (against dos Anjos) was more important than my fight. I lost my fight, so he was like … I ruined his performance.
“But we sat back and thought about it. We have two different careers, two different fight styles. We need to take control of our own reality. My fight shouldn’t affect the way he fights, and that’s something we talked about. I’m excited to fight on the same card again.”
After all, UFC 181 – the event where the Pettis bros. went 2-0 – also took place in Vegas, so they’re hoping for similar results in Sin City at UFC 197.
Check out the above video as Sergio discusses their change of plans, fighting an opponent who’s 13 years older, and what he’s been focusing on in camp.
And for more on UFC 197, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
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