A decade later, and Anthony Pettis’ famous “Showtime kick” is still one of the most incredible moves ever executed in a cage.
In the final round of his lightweight title fight against Benson Henderson on Dec. 16, 2010 at WEC 53, Pettis ran off the cage and threw a flying kick that dropped Henderson with just seconds remaining in their tightly contested fight.
Remarkably, the creative and daring move won Pettis the fifth round and the WEC lightweight title in what ended up being one of the most viral videos in MMA history.
Wow, I can’t believe this was exactly 10 years ago today!!#ShowtimeKick10thAnniversary pic.twitter.com/8n5Gv76Uwt
— Anthony Pettis (@Showtimepettis) December 16, 2020
Pettis continued to deliver plenty more spectacular finishes, en route to capturing the UFC lightweight title. After landing on the cover of the Wheaties box and successfully defending his title with a submission of Gilbert Melendez, Pettis lost to Rafael dos Anjos and would go on to see mixed results in the octagon.
In a 2018 interview, “Showtime” admitted to MMA Junkie that trying to live up to the expectations that came with such an iconic kick weighed heavy on him at times.
It’s incredible that 10 years later, the highlight still makes jaws drop.
On Saturday, Pettis will enter his 20th UFC fight looking to string back-to-back wins for the first time since 2014 when he faces Alex Morono at UFC Fight Night 183.
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10 years later, Anthony Pettis’ ‘Showtime kick’ is still one of the most iconic MMA highlights ever