Clay Collard is facing a stern test in his first PFL bout, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
Collard (18-8) meets former WEC and UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (24-10) in the main event of PFL 2021, Week 1 on April 23, which will air on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.
Pettis is being dubbed as one of the favorites to win the title alongside reigning lightweight champ Natan Schulte, which makes Collard’s quest for the $1 million prize a little tougher. However, Collard sees it as an opportunity to get a top contender out of the way early.
“I was hoping I would get Anthony or the champ right off the bat,” Collard told MMA Junkie. “I came to win, so might as well take the top dogs out first.”
PFL 1 will mark Collard’s first MMA fight in two years. The 28-year-old has spent the past couple of years lacing up the boxing gloves, where he picked up nine wins as a professional.
But Collard says while he may not have been an active MMA fighter during that time, he was always at the gym training in all aspects. He faces one of the flashiest strikers in the sport, but with his recent success as a boxer, Collard thinks Pettis will try and take him down.
“I’ve never stopped training like a mixed martial artist,” Collard said. “I would love for it to be an all-out striking battle, but I believe he’s going to try and get it to the ground.”
And though he amassed a very solid record during his boxing tenure, Collard says MMA has his full attention at the moment.
“Boxing was always a means to an end during COVID,” Collard said. “I am ready to take PFL by storm and stick with mixed martial arts.”
Clay Collard glad to draw Anthony Pettis in PFL opener: ‘Might as well take the top dogs out first’
