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Anthony Pettis wants T.J. Grant's UFC 164 slot against champ Benson Henderson

4K views 48 replies 24 participants last post by  jonnyg4508 
#1 ·
Anthony Pettis wants T.J. Grant's UFC 164 slot against champ Benson Henderson

Top UFC lightweight contender T.J. Grant better hope Anthony Pettis doesn't get his wish.

Pettis (16-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), who dropped from lightweight to featherweight for a shot at 145-pound champion Jose Aldo (22-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) before a knee injury scrapped their UFC 163 headliner this past week, now wants to return to 155 pounds.

And he wants to take a UFC 164 title shot with lightweight champion Benson Henderson that was promised to Grant (21-5 MMA, 8-3 UFC).

UFC 164 takes place Aug. 31, four weeks after Pettis' planned UFC 163 bout with Aldo in Rio de Janeiro. For Pettis, such a rescheduling would mean a chance to fight in his hometown of Milwaukee, which is home to UFC 164.

"I can be 100 percent ready to fight Benson Henderson in Milwaukee," Pettis claimed in a statement issued to FUEL TV's post-UFC 161 show. "With all due respect to T.J. Grant, Milwaukee is my town, and the fight with Ben is the fight everyone has wanted for years."

However, as MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported soon after UFC 161, UFC President Dana White doesn't agree with Pettis' claim that he could be ready to fight again by the end of August. Although the injury won't require surgery, he said it won't be a quick layoff.

"He talked to a doctor, and the doctor said he's out for a good six weeks, and he needs a good (physical) therapist, and he needs to get his knee back," White said. "That's what a doctor said. He talked to a therapist in Milwaukee who told him three weeks. I could give a s--t what the therapist in Milwaukee thinks; I'm listening to the doctor. And I'm going to fly him out to Las Vegas to see Dr. (Steven) Saunders, too, for a second opinion."

When Pettis dropped off the UFC 163 card this past week, Chan Sung Jung (13-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) got the fight with Aldo instead. White said he's open to Pettis fighting the Aldo vs. Jung winner – or even the Henderson vs. Grant winner.

"He's definitely in line (at featherweight), but we'll see what happens," White said. "He could do either – he could fight Aldo or he could fight the winner of [Henderson] and T.J. Grant."

Pettis, the WEC's final lightweight champion, earned his UFC title shot following wins over Jeremy Stephens, Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone, the latter two of which earned "Knockout of the Night" awards. However, when champ Henderson was lined up for a title shot with Strikeforce titleholder Gilbert Melendez earlier this year, Pettis opted to move down to featherweight for an immediate title shot instead of waiting.

However, for now, Pettis will go back to the sidelines.

http://www.mmajunkie.com/news/2013/0...nson-henderson
 
#5 ·
Pettis' act is really wearing thin. He's got some major entitlement issues. By my count, he's passed up not one, but two cracks at the LW title, so he can wait in line for Bendo. Or Aldo.

Unfortunately, the lure of a Bendo rematch in Pettis' hometown may be too much for the UFC brass to pass up. It's 100% the more marketable headliner.

The conspiracy theorist in me can envision a scenario where the UFC convinces (pays?) Grant to nurse pre-fight "injury," and a medically cleared Pettis replaces him against Bendo. The UFC would then promise Grant a shot at the winner when he's "all healed up." The UFC can then play up the whole "Grant feels snubbed/overlooked because he's always been the rightful #1 contender" angle to sell the next fight. Especially if Pettis beats Bendo.

This scenario just makes better business sense. And the UFC is a business, first and foremost. Is it a little far-fetched? Perhaps... but not really. Although I still think Grant should get the title shot he was promised, I don't care what Pettis thinks.
 
#12 ·
If this were a Brazilian or English fighter campaigning for a hometown fight I doubt their would be any blowback. This is likely the one time the UFC is going to be in Milwaukee with the highest profile fighter....

Anyways the UFC should book some LW fights on the prelims just in case Pettis is ready and cleared to fight. The good news with Anthony is that by fighting in two weight classes the UFC has six guys lined up only one of them needs to get injured for Anthony to step up. And worst comes to worst putting two LW prelims you could get an exhibition fight for Pettis which is just as good.
 
#13 ·
If this were a Brazilian or English fighter campaigning for a hometown fight I doubt their would be any blowback.
It has little to do with nationality, and everything to do with a guy who was too impatient to wait for a title shot in his own division and now that that has fallen through he wants to cut in yet another line to return to his original spot even though the division has clearly moved on without him.

Sent from Verticalsports.com App
 
#14 ·
For what it is worth, not much, White is quoted saying the following:

“He’s definitely in line [at featherweight[, we'll see what happens. He could do either – he could fight Aldo or he could fight the winner of [Henderson] and T.J. Grant [at UFC 164].”
 
#22 ·
Melendez is fighting Sanchez, Thomson would be a great fight. The only issue with giving Pettis some huge fight is that whomever takes that fight could feel like they are in a loser situation. The 164 main card is somewhat stacked (Henderson/Grant, Mir/Barnett, Mendes/Guida, Koch/Poirer, Rothwell/Vera) with four big top ten fights and the vaya con dios fight with Vera/Rothwell. For all we know the only opening is on FX, now I don't think it will be an issue for Pettis, he's begging to get on this card. But I doubt any of the top 155lbers would be willing to fight on the prelims against a guy that they'll likely lose to and lose badly to.

Now if you put him up against some scrub you can just save the spot because you have to assume one of the six fighters in the two weight classes Pettis fights in are going to get injured and pull out.
 
#26 ·
Sanchez is far from the top ten at LW. Blaming the UFC for that is asinine, they didn't force him to do anything. He signed the contract to take the fight in Japan at 155 pounds, no one else. PS, he lost to Gomi. The only thing that was really arguable about that contest was weather Sanchez even won a round or not.

Melendez booked against Sanchez was very disappointing.
 
#28 ·
Gomi clearly won the fight with Sanchez, and has improved since his downfall in his career.

Nino is going to eat Sanchez for breakfast.

As for Pettis, you're exciting but you're the one who gave up the LW title shot, shut up and get back in line.
 
#31 ·
Yes they should, international fights are terribly difficult on fighters making cuts. We just had Rony Markes almost die because he couldn't properly cut weight in Brazil. He got into a car accident trying to find a steam room. Anthony Johnson has never missed weight when he's fought close to his camp, now since the UFC "cut" he's arguably the top non-UFC fighter in the world.

As for me being a <ahem> Sanchez dick rider funny how he's over the hill after one fight when the previous three were FOTN's. You could also argue that he beat Jake Ellenberger or should have as had it gone five rounds Ellenberger would have lost.

And if Sanchez looks good or even beats Melendez he's likely going to end up in the top ten... it's not that hard to crack the 155 ten, the next guy fighting for the title was on facebook this time last year fighting a cut fight.
 
#34 ·
They were FOTNs because Sanchez is a crazy man and defends punches with his face. When he gets beat up and shows his mean face, he is given FOTNs.

Gomi has been awful, straight awful. And everyone and their mothers scored it for Gomi. Sanchez was beat by below average UFC LW and hasn't fought at LW since 2009. Sanchez is overrated as hell. And there is little to no way he beats Melendez. If Sanchez eats enough punches, his fans and UFC heads will claim how good he looked and give him FOTN. He is basically a different version of Clay Guida.

You can give us all these should woulda coulda. I don't play that game though.

Yea the Anthony Johnson comment was a gem!
 
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