Anthony Pettis: “People have written me off and forgot how good I really am”

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis returns to the 155lbs division at UFC 213 hungry and looking to shock the world. The former 155lb king pin returns to the division to take on Jim Miller after a short and unsuccessful stint in the 145lbs ranks. Pettis is coming off a loss back in December at UFC 206 to the current featherweight champion Max Holloway.

Speaking on this week’s Talking Brawls podcast, Pettis is adamant his skill set isn’t to blame. “Showtime” cites his mental approach as being the major factor contributing to the below par performances. Pettis has only picked up one victory, defeating Charles Oliviera in the featherweight division, since he lost his UFC lightweight title to Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC 185.

“Mental, It’s all mental. I have the same physical skill I always had, it’s just when you do something for so long. I can go out for a week and then show up and go spar and be fine, you know. It’s like talking to me; I know fighting’s  in my blood.“

The Milwaukee based lightweight says he will look to destroy New Jersey’s Miller in devastating fashion at UFC 213. He believes a statement and impressive performance will silence the doubters and fans that have written him off. Pettis views Miller as a steppingstone on the way back to the top of the division.

“All these guys are stepping stones. I’m about to shock the world right now. I’m about to go back to what I used to do. I think, as you said, people have written me off and forgot how good I really am. I’m going to go out there and remind them. Jim’s the first guy. I’m going stay busy, be in the gym, and be hungry.”

The Roufusport fighter believes a fresh perspective and some much needed time off has given him a fresh approach to training in preparation for his return to the lightweight division. Now that his two-fight stint at featherweight has come to an end, Pettis says he can let go more not having to think about a torturous weight-cut.

“Now, It’s going out there and finishing fights, not going out there and surviving fights. In sparring matches, I go out there and dominate guys. It’s what I did this training camp. I’ve stopped sparring partners. I was going a little extra hard making sure I was tasting blood every week this training camp. “

You can listen to the full interview on this week’s Talking Brawls below:

Listen in the player above or Download MP3

Niall McGrath and Petesy Carroll are joined by Dann Stupp, Anthony Pettis and Michael Chiesa on this week’s episode of Talking Brawls.

• Dann Stupp joins the show at approx 32 minutes in
• Anthony Pettis joins the show at approx 1 hour 4 minutes in
• Michael Chiesa joins the show at approx 1 hour 23 minutes in