Number 4: Anthony Pettis
Anthony Pettis is the current UFC lightweight champion, he was the last WEC lightweight champion and he has a professional MMA record of 18-2. Pettis started training taekwondo and boxing at the age of 5 and started wrestling in high school. It is often said that starting to learn a martial art such as taekwondo at an early age is a huge advantage for fighters in later life. They develop technique and dexterity as they are still growing allowing them to be true masters in the future. The man they call ‘Showtime’ is a perfect example of this, he possesses one of the most advanced and impressive kicking games in all of MMA.
He throws kicks to the body and to the head with awe-inspiring speed, power and precision, with little or no wide up. His mastery of kicking techniques allows him to attain an extremely high level of power starting from a neutral position. He knocked out Joe Lauzon with a head kick and finished accomplished striker Donald Cerrone with a precision kick to the body. Fighters are used to being kicked in training and during fights, but when they feel the power of Pettis they suddenly realize they are experiencing a whole new level of technique.
The impressive abilities of ‘Showtime’ don’t end with his crisp striking game, he also has one of the most active guards in the UFC, recently submitting Gilbert Melendez and Benson Henderson. He hurt Henderson with kicks to the body so Benson attempted and secured a takedown, seconds later he was tapping to an armbar. His lethal combination of powerful and creative strikes combined with his slick submissions earn Anthony Pettis the number 4 spot in our pound for pound rankings. He will take on Rafael dos Anjos next at UFC 185 on March 14th.
