Anthony Pettis will definitely not be fighting any time soon despite his claims that he could be ready for UFC 164 in August.
Pettis had originally seen a specialist recommended by the UFC who told him he’d be out of action for six weeks due to a torn miniscus, but the former WEC champion was then given what’s turned out to be false hope when his own therapist in Milwaukee told him he’d only need to rest up for three weeks.
That lead to Pettis suggesting that he could fight current lightweight champion Ben Henderson at UFC 164 in place of TJ Grant.
At no stage did the UFC give any indication that this was a real possibility, but they did offer to fly Pettis back to Las Vegas for a second opinion from a qualified doctor, and that’s what’s lead to the confirmation that he needs to rest up for a full six weeks.
Speaking on Monday, Pettis appeared to have cooled off on his plan to replace Grant which had been met with a somewhat frosty reaction from fans who felt that would be unfair.
“TJ Grant earned his shot,” Pettis told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour” show. “I’m not going to say I should be fighting and T.J. Grant didn’t earn his shot. T.J. Grant earned his shot, and he’s there for a reason. I don’t want the fans to think I’m trying to take his position or anything like that, but at the same time, you can’t knock me for trying. I want a title shot so bad.”
The good news is that Dana White appears to be open to the possibility of Pettis getting a title shot at either featherweight or lightweight upon his return later in the year so it looks like things will work out for him in the long run.
