It wasn’t long before Anthony Pettis found a new home: “Showtime” is coming to the PFL.
Pettis, the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion, will compete in the PFL for the 2021 season and will compete at 155 pounds. The PFL announced the news Shortly afterwards, promotional partner ESPN reported this on Wednesday.
Pettis (24-10) fought out his UFC contract last Saturday with a unanimous win over Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night 183.
Pettis spoke openly about his upcoming free duty leading up to the fight and announced his departure from UFC on Tuesday. It wasn’t long before Pettis signed with PFL, the promotion that operates on a system similar to major team sports, with regular season fights, playoffs and $ 1 million for the championship winner in each weight division. Pettis thought he also had a potential suitor in Bellator, as promotion president Scott Coker expressed interest in MMA Junkie Tuesday night.
Pettis won the WEC Lightweight Championship in the promotion’s final event, WEC 53, in December 2010, in which his famous Benson Henderson “Showtime kick” sealed the deal on the scorecards in a close fight in the closing seconds. In 2013, Pettis Henderson submitted to UFC 164 in his hometown of Milwaukee to claim the UFC lightweight belt, losing it to Rafael dos Anjos in 2015.
Pettis struggled to regain his stride from there, fighting everything from featherweight to welterweight, but he finished his UFC run as the winner of two straights.
No date or first opponent has been named for Pettis. The 2021 season of the PFL begins April 23 in Las Vegas.