Ex-UFC champ Anthony Pettis' goal in lightweight return: 'Make people want to watch me fight again'

For Anthony Pettis, returning to the lightweight division that he once ruled also meant a return to his fundamentals.

Pettis (19-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) meets Jim Miller (28-9 MMA, 17-8 UFC) at UFC 213 on Saturday looking for recovery. That means not only bouncing back from a recent TKO setback to current featherweight champ Max Holloway, which followed a submission win over grappling expert Charles Oliveira, but a dire 1-4 recent record.

There’s something to be said for the caliber of opponents the former lightweight champ has succumbed to. Other than Holloway, who earned the interim 145-pound belt with their UFC 206 battle, the list holds the likes of ex-champs Eddie Alvarez and Rafael dos Anjos, as well as current 155-pound contender Edson Barboza.

But, regardless, it’s a slump. And it’s one that contrasts starkly with a record that once involved four consecutive finishes over top competitors  – including the armbar that earned him the title over ex-champ Benson Henderson at UFC 164.

Pettis has made changes to break out of his funk. After “almost dying” in a botched cut for his meeting with Holloway, he is done with featherweight. But, more than that, he’s re-shifted his focus toward what made him champ in the first place.

“I honestly went away from the wrestling,” Pettis told MMAjunkie Radio ahead of the pay-per-view lightweight affair, which opens the main card at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. “I just went and focused on what I was good at: striking. A lot of striking this camp. A lot of jiu-jitsu. I think the wrestling is always there. But I’d just put that in my head, that I had to get better at it, to get better at it.

“I was just too focused on wrestling, and that took away from all the other parts of my game.”

That might seem like an interesting assertion considering that Miller, while notoriously well-rounded, does come from a wrestling background. But the way Pettis sees it, that’s all the more reason to focus on his own strengths on Saturday.

“Wrestling is a big part of the sport,” Pettis said. “But if you look at it, I’m not gonna catch up to this guys. I’m not going to catch up to a Clay Guida in wrestling, and they’re not going to catch up to me in striking. So I’ve got to go out there and make sure that my striking is OK for the fight and not get caught up on the who’s on top and who’s doing the takedowns.”

Other than the obvious – winning – Pettis rose to prominence thanks to a flashy striking style that made for exciting battles. His arsenal, however, would also grow to showcase a slick submission game – which he used both to conquer the lightweight crown and to defend it, against Gilbert Melendez.

But then came the title loss to Dos Anjos. The setbacks to Alvarez and Barboza followed. The slump led to outside questions as to what was at the bottom of Pettis’ decay – had the lifestyle that comes with a UFC belt taken his head out of the game?

To that, Pettis answers with a definitive no. Yes, he wanted to make money with his career; but then again, which fighter doesn’t? Instead, it was something else he says contributed to his downfall.

“The thing that changed me the most was injuries,” Pettis said. “I had a knee surgery coming out of the Ben Henderson fight. I had the year off with ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ Then they put me in there against Melendez. I won that fight, and then I had to take time off.

“And I fought (Rafael dos Anjos). A lot of injuries I had just sort of slowed my training town. And if you’re not in the gym as much as all these other guys, you’re going to fall behind. And that’s why I feel I fell behind.”

Despite the rough times, Pettis is the kind of fighter who seems to be always at the edge of a resurgence – hence, the interim title shot that followed his comeback win over Oliveira. And who knows what a definitive display over Miller could mean in the UFC’s messy lightweight division.

But, currently avoiding these sorts of speculations, the 30-year-old fighter has a simpler goal in mind.

“I think with (lightweight champ) Conor McGregor doing the Floyd Mayweather fight, it kind of throws the division up,” Pettis said. “So there’s room for guys to change that landscape. But, at this point around, this is my first fight back at 155. I’ve just got to go make a statement. (I’ve) got to make people want to watch me fight again.”

For more on UFC 213, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.

MMAjunkie Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at 1 p.m. ET (10 a.m. PT) live from Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by “Gorgeous” George Garcia and producer Brian “Goze” Garcia. For more information or to download past episodes, go towww.mmajunkie.com/radio.