Anthony Pettis - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Anthony Pettis is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

Mixed martial arts

Mixed Martial Arts is a full contact combat sport that allows the use of both striking and grappling techniques, both standing and on the ground, including boxing, wrestling, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, muay Thai, kickboxing, karate, judo and other styles. The roots of modern mixed martial arts can be...

who competes in the lightweight

Lightweight (MMA)

The lightweight division in mixed martial arts can refer to a number of different weight classes:* The UFC & Strikeforce lightweight division with upper limit at 155 lb...

division. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Pettis has made a name for himself mainly fighting in his home state of Wisconsin. He is a former fighter for the World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...

(WEC), where he was the last ever WEC Lightweight Champion. He has since signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

Early life

Born to Eugene Pettis Jr. and Annette Garcia, Anthony Pettis grew up in the south side of Milwaukee, Wisconsin along with his older brother Ray Pettis and younger brother Sergio Pettis. Pettis is half Mexican

Mexican people

Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....

and half Puerto Rican

Puerto Rican people

A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

, his grandfather Anglicized the family name, Perez, to avoid discrimination. Pettis attended Dominican High School

Dominican High School (Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin)

Dominican High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin. It is in, but not funded by, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Milwaukee as a college preparatory high school.-Background:...

Career

Anthony "Showtime" Pettis made his professional MMA debut in December 2007. He compiled an undefeated record of 6-0 in shows all based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...

before debuting with the WEC.

Pettis is coached by legendary Kickboxer and MMA trainer Duke Roufus

Jeff Roufus

Jeff "Duke" Roufus is an American former kickboxer who is now one of the top trainers as head coach of the Roufusport competition team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA...

and is a member of Roufusport where he trains with fighters Pat Barry, Matt Mitrione

Matt Mitrione

Matthew Steven Mitrione is an American mixed martial artist and former NFL football player, playing for the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings. He was a cast member of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights....

, Eric Schafer

Eric Schafer

Eric John Schafer is an American mixed martial artist who competes a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Background and early career:Schafer attended the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh....

, Alan Belcher

Alan Belcher

John Alan Belcher , is an American mixed martial artist who fights in the middleweight division of the UFC. He fights out of Remix MMA in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he is also the owner. Belcher holds notable wins over Jorge Santiago, Jason MacDonald, Ed Herman, Dennis Kang, and Patrick Côté...

, Erik Koch

Erik Koch

Erik Koch is an American mixed martial artist who currently fights as a featherweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-Personal Life:Koch enrolled in Taekwondo classes at the ripe age of four peaking his interest in MMA...

and Ben Askren

Ben Askren

Ben Askren is an American former amateur wrestler for the University of Missouri and U.S. Olympic team. He is now a mixed martial artist and the current Bellator Welterweight Champion.-Wrestling:...

World Extreme Cagefighting

Pettis made his WEC debut at WEC 41

WEC 41

WEC 41: Brown vs. Faber 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on June 7, 2009 at the Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. It was the most successful show in the WEC's history....

, where he defeated Mike Campbell

Mike Campbell (fighter)

Michael "The Beast" Campbell is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is most known for his success at New England local shows such as WCF as well as appearing on an episode of the Tapout Show....

via triangle choke.

He was then expected to fight Rob McCullough

Rob McCullough

Robert Alexander McCullough IV is an American Muay Thai kickboxer and mixed martial artist. He was a five-time World Muay Thai Champion, and is a former WEC Lightweight Champion. He currently trains out of Huntington Beach, CA at HB Ultimate Training Center...

at WEC 44

WEC 44

WEC 44: Brown vs. Aldo was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting. It took place on November 18, 2009 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.The event drew an estimated 414,000 viewers on Versus.-Preliminary card:...

on November 18, 2009, but was pulled off the card with an undisclosed injury.

Pettis suffered his first professional loss on December 19, 2009 at WEC 45

WEC 45

WEC 45: Cerrone vs. Ratcliff was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on December 19, 2009 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada. It marked the first time the WEC has held back-to-back events at The Pearl at The Palms. The event drew an estimated...

, dropping a close, decision to Bart Palaszewski

Bart Palaszewski

Bart K. Palaszewski is a Polish-American mixed martial artist. He fought for the Quad City Silverbacks of the now defunct International Fight League. Following the UFC/WEC merger, Palaszewski is now under contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

.

Pettis rebounded from the loss with a victory over Danny Castillo

Danny Castillo

Daniel "Danny" Alfonso Castillo is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight divisions. A professional MMA competitor since 2007, Castillo has made a name for himself fighting in California. He currently fights at lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championships, and...

on March 6, 2010 at WEC 47

WEC 47

WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio-Background:...

, earning Knockout of the Night. Training for the fight, as well as Pettis' family life, were both documented on an episode of the MTV

MTV

MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....

show, World of Jenks

World of Jenks

World of Jenks is a documentary series starring Andrew Jenks. The series premiered on September 13, 2010 on MTV following 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. The show showcases the lives of inspirational young people from various locations of the United States...

.

Pettis suffered virtually no damage in the bout with Castillo and made a quick return at WEC 48

WEC 48

UFC Presents: Aldo vs. Faber, also referred to as WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on April 24, 2010 at ARCO Arena in Sacramento, California...

against Alex Karalexis

Alex Karalexis

Alex Karalexis is an American mixed martial artist of Greek descent. He has a professional record of 10 wins and 6 losses...

. He won the fight via submission in the second round.

Pettis faced Shane Roller

Shane Roller

Shane Derrick Roller is an American mixed martial artist, currently fighting as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

on August 18, 2010 at WEC 50

WEC 50

WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 18, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

. Pettis surprised many by taking down Roller multiple times and frustrating him with fast paced scrambles. Pettis displayed a diversity of striking not seen in professional mixed martial arts competition, namely two Capoeira

Capoeira

Capoeira is a Brazilian art form that combines elements of martial arts, sports, and music. It was created in Brazil mainly by descendants of African slaves with Brazilian native influences, probably beginning in the 16th century...

kicks. The martelo as well as the aú batido. After several submission attempts, Pettis finally secured a fight ending triangle choke

Triangle choke

A triangle choke, or sankaku-jime in Judo, is a type of figure-four chokehold which strangles the opponent by encircling the opponent's neck and one arm with the legs in a configuration similar to the shape of a triangle...

in the closing moments of the fight, earning a Submission of the Night bonus.

His last WEC fight came against Ben Henderson

Ben Henderson (fighter)

Benson Henderson is an American mixed martial artist. He currently fights as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Henderson, a former WEC Lightweight Champion, is known for his aggressive style and his ability to escape from deep submission attempts...

on December 16, 2010 at WEC 53

WEC 53

WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on December 16, 2010 at Jobing.com Arena in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona. The event was the first time that Zuffa has hosted an event in Arizona...

for the WEC Lightweight Championship. The fight was closely contested throughout, providing back and forth action, both standing and on the ground. In the fifth round, Pettis combined Parkour

Parkour

Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...

with a Savate

Savate

Savate , also known as boxe française, French boxing, French kickboxing or French footfighting, is a French martial art which uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Only foot kicks are allowed unlike some systems such as Muay...

Fouette to create what is now called the Showtime Kick by springing off of the cage with his right foot, making a shearing movement with his left leg, then kicking Henderson in the face with his right foot. Pettis won the fight via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 48-47) to become the final WEC Lightweight Champion. The fight was also awarded as Fight of the Night which won Henderson and Pettis an extra $10,000.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

In October 2010, World Extreme Cagefighting

World Extreme Cagefighting

merged with the Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ultimate Fighting Championship

The Ultimate Fighting Championship is the largest mixed martial arts promotion company in the world that hosts most of the top-ranked fighters in the sport...

. As part of the merger, a majority of the WEC fighters were transferred to the UFC.

Pettis was expected to face the winner of Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard

Gray Maynard

Bradley Gray Maynard is an American amateur wrestler and mixed martial artist, who competes as a lightweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has recorded one of the fastest knockouts in UFC history, at 9 seconds against Joe Veres. He is the only fighter to hold a win over current...

, which took place at UFC 125

UFC 125

UFC 125: Resolution was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on January 1, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:...

. However, the bout was declared a draw, and Edgar/Maynard 3 was scheduled for UFC 130

UFC 130

UFC 130: Rampage vs. Hamill was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on May 28, 2011 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:...

, but both fighters received sustained injuries before the fight, which was postponed.

Instead of waiting for the winner of Edgar/Maynard 3, Pettis faced Clay Guida

Clay Guida

Clayton Charles Guida is an American mixed martial artist and currently fighting in the UFC as a lightweight. Guida was the first Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and held the title until being defeated by Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce: Revenge...

on June 4, 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter: Team Lesnar vs. Team Dos Santos Finale, , was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on June 4, 2011 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States.-Background:Featured were the finalists from The Ultimate Fighter 13 – Team Lesnar...

. Despite being dominated by Guida's superior wrestling, Pettis showed good Jiu Jitsu work, continuously controlling Guida's fists and making multiple submission attempts, while taking little damage, even securing Guida's back but Guida was able to escape and in return secured Pettis's back to end the third and final round ultimately giving Guida the victory via unanimous decision.

Pettis defeated Jeremy Stephens

Jeremy Stephens

Jeremy Dean Stephens is an American professional mixed martial arts fighter from Des Moines, Iowa. Stephens is currently signed under the Ultimate Fighting Championship promotion, fighting in their lightweight division....

via split decision on October 8, 2011 at UFC 136

UFC 136

UFC 136: Edgar vs. Maynard III was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on October 8, 2011, at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The event coincided with a two day UFC Fan Expo held at the George R...

in a closely contested bout. Pettis used superior wrestling which was showcased in round 2, where he was able to take Stephens down three times.

Pettis is expected to face Joe Lauzon

Joe Lauzon

Joseph E. Lauzon Jr. is an American mixed martial artist from Brockton, Massachusetts. He currently lives in Massachusetts and is training at Lauzon MMA in Bridgewater, Massachusetts.-Early life and background:...

on February 26, 2012 at UFC 144

UFC 144

UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson is an upcoming mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The event is expected to take place on February 26, 2012 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan....

Showtime Sports Bar

Along with Duke Roufus

Jeff Roufus

Jeff "Duke" Roufus is an American former kickboxer who is now one of the top trainers as head coach of the Roufusport competition team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA...

, Pettis owns the Showtime Sports Bar in Milwaukee.

Commercials

Pettis along with Jon Jones

Jon Jones (fighter)

Jonathan Dwight Jones is an American mixed martial artist from Endicott, New York. He is the current UFC Light Heavyweight Champion....

, Urijah Faber

Urijah Faber

Urijah Christopher Faber is an American mixed martial artist currently fighting as a bantamweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. Faber won the WEC featherweight championship at WEC 19 on March 17, 2006 and held the title for over two years until his loss to Mike Brown at WEC...

, Joseph Benavidez

Joseph Benavidez

Joseph Rolando Benavidez is an American mixed martial artist. After fighting in smaller shows while working as a screen printer in Las Cruces, New Mexico, he joined up with Urijah Faber's Team Alpha Male in 2007. He has since fought in Dream and most recently the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion...

, Mark Muñoz

Mark Munoz

Mark Muñoz is an American mixed martial artist of Filipino descent currently fighting in the middleweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.Muñoz is known for his wrestling ability and his relentless ground-and-pound...

, Chad Mendes

Chad Mendes

Chad Edward Mendes is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.-High school:Mendes finished 8th in the state of California , wrestling for Hanford High School. In 2002, he finished 5th at 114 lbs. and in 2003, he finished third at 121 lbs...

, and Scott Jorgensen

Scott Jorgensen

Scott Roger Jorgensen is an American mixed martial artist competing in the UFC Bantamweight division and is a member of the Twisted Genetiks Fight Team based out of Boise, Idaho. He is considered a perennial top 5 ranked bantamweight fighter...

starred in a Form Athletics (now owned by K-Swiss

K-Swiss

K-Swiss, Inc. is an American footwear company based in Westlake Village, California. The company designs, develops, and markets a range of athletic shoes under the K-Swiss brand.- History :...

) commercial.

Championships and Accomplishments

World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting
World Extreme Cagefighting was an American mixed martial arts promotion. It was purchased by Zuffa, LLC, the parent company of Ultimate Fighting Championship , in 2006. In its final incarnation, it was made up of 3 weight classes: 135, 145 and 155 lbs. To accommodate the smaller...
- WEC Lightweight Championship (One time, Final)
- Knockout of the Night (One time)
- Submission of the Night (One time)
- Fight of the Night (One time)
Sherdog
Sherdog
Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts . The site is a member of the Crave Online network and provides MMA related content for ESPN.com.- History :...
- 2010 Breakthrough Fighter of the Year
MMA Live
MMA Live
MMA Live is a sports show about mixed martial arts. It is seen on ESPN2. The show features analysts such as Franklin McNeil, Pat Miletich, Kenny Florian and Rashad Evans. MMA Live was originally an Internet show, but made the move to television after positive reception...
- 2010 Breakout Star of the Year

Mixed martial arts record

|-
| Win
|align=center| 14–2
| Jeremy Stephens

Jeremy Stephens

| Decision (split)
| UFC 136

UFC 136

Houston, Texas

Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...

Clay Guida

| Decision (unanimous)
| The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

, United States
| UFC Debut.
|-
| Win
|align=center| 13–1
| Ben Henderson

Ben Henderson (fighter)

| Decision (unanimous)
| WEC 53

WEC 53

Glendale, Arizona

Glendale is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, located about nine miles northwest from Downtown Phoenix. According to 2010 Census Bureau, the population of the city is 226,721....

, United States
| .
|-
| Win
|align=center| 12–1
| Shane Roller

Shane Roller

Shane Derrick Roller is an American mixed martial artist, currently fighting as a lightweight for the Ultimate Fighting Championship...

| Submission (triangle choke)
| WEC 50

WEC 50

WEC 50: Cruz vs. Benavidez 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting that took place on August 18, 2010 at The Pearl at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 11–1
| Alex Karalexis

Alex Karalexis

Alex Karalexis is an American mixed martial artist of Greek descent. He has a professional record of 10 wins and 6 losses...

| Submission (triangle choke)
| WEC 48

WEC 48

Sacramento, California

Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 10–1
| Danny Castillo

Danny Castillo

| KO (head kick and punches)
| WEC 47

WEC 47

WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio-Background:...

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

Bart Palaszewski

| Decision (split)
| WEC 45

WEC 45

Las Vegas, Nevada

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 9–0
| Mike Campbell

Mike Campbell (fighter)

| Submission (triangle choke)
| WEC 41

WEC 41

Sacramento, California

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

, United States
|
|-
| Win
|align=center| 7–0
| Jay Ellis
| Submission (punches)
| GFS 55
|
|align=center| 1
|align=center| 1:12
|Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Wisconsin

Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Green Bay, Wisconsin

Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...

Television

Pettis appeared on episode 4 of World of Jenks

World of Jenks

, where documentary maker Andrew Jenks

Andrew Jenks

-Early life:When he was nine, his family moved to Belgium for two years.Jenks attended Hendrick Hudson High School in Montrose, New York. When Jenks was 16 he founded the Hendrick Hudson Film Festival, featuring James Earl Jones as its keynote speaker. The festival is now in its 8th year.His father...

lived with Pettis for a week before his fight against Danny Castillo

Danny Castillo

at WEC 47

WEC 47

WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz was a mixed martial arts event held by World Extreme Cagefighting on March 6, 2010. It was held at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio-Background:...

. The episode gave an inside look into Pettis' fight preparations as well as giving insights into his family life.

External links

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