Anthony Pettis always has dazzled fans with some “Showtime,” but he’s looking to return to his fundamentals.
Pettis (24-11) dropped his promotional debut when he was defeated by Clay Collard at 2021 PFL 1, but his title hopes still are alive. He meets undefeated Alex Martinez in the 2021 PFL 4 main event Thursday in a must-win if he wants to advance to the playoffs.
His debut loss was a back-and-forth war in which he was able to survive Collard’s barrage in Round 2 and rally late. He connected with a big head kick and a flying knee that wobbled Collard in the final frame, but it was too little, too late for Pettis, who wasn’t happy at all with his performance.
“Yeah, I watched it – it was bad,” Pettis told MMA Junkie. “It was funny: I got home and my daughter was like, ‘Dad, can I tell you something? Your fight looked horrible.’ And I’m like, ‘Man – she’s just like me. She’s just so honest.’ And I’m like, ‘You’re right.’ I watched the fight, and man, it went so fast. It went by so quick. I think I put that pressure on myself to perform.
“I went out there in my southpaw stance, tried to do the flashy kicks, and just – I forgot to get the basics going. These fights go by so fast, and I know so much of martial arts it’s hard for me to decide which one is the right one to go out there with, and I chose the wrong version of myself that night.”
Pettis takes on fellow taekwondo practitioner Martinez (8-0), who edged out grappler Loik Radzhabov to win his first fight. But he said he won’t get lured into the striker vs. striker battle like he did against Collard and will just focus on the basics.
“I like his style,” Pettis said. “He’s a bigger ’55er – uses his front leg round kick, got some decent hands, good off of his back, showed some decent wrestling defense and offense in that last fight. So I mean, all these guys are dangerous. I’m going to go out there and try not to be this flashy, taekwondo-for-taekwondo guy. I’m going to get my basics going, be a smart fighter and be the professional I am.
“Last fight, I didn’t look like a champ. I didn’t look like a professional at all, and I’ll be the first to say that. I made a lot of technical errors that I shouldn’t have made. I chose the wrong version to fight in that fight. For this one, I’m going to make all the right technical decisions, and then that will lead to the thing that I was trying to force in the last fight.”
PFL 4: After debut loss, it’s back to basics for Anthony Pettis in matchup against Alex Martinez
