Pettis wants three fights in 2015
According to the report on UFC Tonight, Anthony Pettis would ideally like to fight again in either March or April, so that he can fight again in July,
Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis was criticized by fans for his year lay off after winning the UFC title. The layoff was of course warranted as Pettis coached a season of the Ultimate Fighter and dealt with several injuries. However, in 2015 Pettis wants to stay active and defend his belt three times:
According to the report on UFC Tonight, Pettis would ideally like to fight again in either March or April, so that he can fight again in July, and then one last time by the end of the year. Of course, with a two-way race at the top of the division between Rafael dos Anjos and Khabib Nurmagomedov playing out, this could dovetail nicely with schedules.
Nurmagomedov is still recovering from ACL surgery, and, according to his manager Ali Abdel-Aziz, hasn’t been cleared and won’t be able to return until around May. That would pave the way for Dos Anjos, who dominated Nate Diaz on Dec. 13 at UFC on FOX 13 in Phoenix en-route to a unanimous decision. Dos Anjos has won three straight fights, and eight of nine overall. In a perfect world, Pettis could fight Dos Anjos in the spring, and — with a victory — then defend against Nurmagomedov in July.
According to Roberts, Pettis is open to a fight with Dos Anjos this spring with the understanding that Nurmagomedov won’t be ready to go by then.