Former lightweight champion’s recently announced move down to the UFC’s featherweight division will begin with a fight against Charles Oliveira at UFC On FOX 21 in Vancouver, Canada on August 27th.
Pettis made the decision to drop to 145lbs after a tough spell that saw him lose his lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos in March of last year, and subsequently taste defeat against both Eddie Alvarez and most recently Edson Barboza.
That was tough to take for the 29 year-old, who had lost just twice in his previous 20 fights, and so he’s hoping a fresh start in a lighter weight class can get him back on track.
There’s not many easy fights in the featherweight division though, and the No.7 ranked Oliveira is sure to be a stern first test for ‘Showtime’.
The 26 year-old ‘Do Bronx’ is coming off a submission win over another notable former lightweight contender Myles Jury, and has won five of his last six fights, with his only loss during that period coming due to a freak neck injury against one of the division’s top contenders, Max Holloway, last year.
Anthony Pettis Vs Charles Oliveria is currently the only main card fight so far confirmed for UFC On FOX 21, though it won’t serve as the main event of the evening.
