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Dana White: ‘No doubt' Anthony Pettis gets the next UFC lightweight title shot

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#1 ·
Dana White: ‘No doubt' UFC on FOX 6 winner Anthony Pettis gets the next UFC lightweight title shot
By Mike Bohn on Jan 26, 11:58p


Anthony "Showtime" Pettis scored an outstanding first-round knockout of Donald Cerrone at UFC on FOX 6 which, according to UFC President Dana White, was enough to earn "Showtime" a lightweight title fight against the winner of Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez at UFC on FOX 7 on April 20, 2013.


Anthony Pettis knocked off fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight contender Donald Cerrone on the main card of UFC on FOX 6: "Johnson vs. Dodson" and as a result had earned himself a lightweight title fight.

Pettis will face the winner of Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez, who meet in the main event of UFC on FOX 7 on April 20, 2013, sometime later this year, according to comments from UFC President Dana White on the UFC on FOX 6 post-fight show on FUEL TV.

Despite the fact this has been the third time White has promised "Showtime" a title shot in his short UFC career, White assures fans Pettis' shot will come to fruition this time around.

"No doubt about it [Pettis will get the next title shot]," White told FUEL TV correspondent Ariel Helwani on the UFC on FOX 6 post-fight show. "Is anyone else not sold on him? I am now."
Pettis defeated Cerrone by first-round KO, and in the process became the first man to finish "Cowboy" via strikes with the help of a precise liver kick.

The 25-year-old will undoubtedly be happy to face either Henderson or Melendez, but the bigger fight of the two would certainly be a rematch with "Smooth," who Pettis defeated by unanimous decision in the final World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) event back in December 2010.

A Pettis vs. Henderson rematch would be a big fight for the lightweight division at this time, but of course nothing is set in stone unless the champion retains his belt against "El Nino."


http://www.mmamania.com/2013/1/26/3...-on-fox-6-winner-anthony-pettis-gets-the-next
 
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#6 ·
Yes.



The Showtime kick will be hard to top, but Ben's about to become a prominent fixture on Pettis' highlight reel.
 
#5 ·
Hmmm... well, I still have to cheer for Gil against Henderson, but once again I expect to find myself watching a title fight where my two favorite guys in the division are going at it.

I say that acknowledging I'm one of the very few people that think Gilbert is going to beat Benson.

To the point however, this fight needs to happen for Pettis regardless!
 
#10 ·
Hell yes! Kid deserves it for sure. Cerrone was always a guy I thought was going to come from the WEC and crush the LW division. He's no joke and Pettis handled him. Can't wait for him to fight Bendo again. Last time it was fight of the century potential, can't wait to see it again. I'll be pulling for Showtime.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using VerticalSports.Com App
 
#13 ·
now pettis has a long time to prepare for benson, assuming of course he wins

should be an awesome fight whatever happens
 
#17 ·
If Pettis shores up his wrestling, upgrades his BJJ, and stays injury free he will be one damn marketable fighter once he claims the belt. This is what GSP was when he first started. For that time the superman punch, spinning side kick was fairly rare and new. Pettis has upped the ante along with Anderson of course.

Pettis represents the new breed of MMA fighters. Highly proficient in most martial arts utilizing unorthodox maneuvers with uncanny success!
 
#19 ·
It was stupid to give Melendez the premature shot. I assume Pettis went unscathed last night and Pettis/Bendo makes so much sense. Now Pettis will have to wait like nine months (give or take). Meanwhile Melendez is unknown to a lot of UFC fans, so having him win a gimme fight and then fight Pettis/Bendo winner would have likely been a smarter route.
 
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