Upset of Anthony Pettis was nice, but Clay Collard knows he still must solidify PFL playoff spot

Clay Collard isn’t riding too high from his win over Anthony Pettis.

Collard (19-8) upset Pettis in his promotional debut, battering the former UFC lightweight champion at PFL 1 in April. “Cassius” almost put Pettis away but wound up with a unanimous decision after a late rally by Pettis.

So with no lightweight scoring a finish on the night, Collard knows advancing to the postseason isn’t a given. He faces Joilton Lutterbach (34-9) at 2021 PFL 4 on Thursday and aims to score a finish to cement his position in the playoffs.

“I’m just gonna go out and do my thing like I always do,” Collard told reporters at PFL 4 media day. “It’s just another day in the office for me. I gotta solidify my spot in the tournament, so I’m gonna be looking to get the finish obviously. I don’t want somebody sneaking up and getting a first-round knockout and stealing my spot even though I beat them.”

Although Collard acknowledges that beating Pettis was the biggest win of his career, he thinks the stakes are even higher against Lutterbach.

“This fight is even more important than the Anthony Pettis fight,” Collard said. “We don’t like what ifs, but there’s 1,000 what ifs that could kick me out of this tournament altogether, and so this fight is more important. It’s more intensity; it’s more everything. I’m putting my whole body and soul into this.”

PFL 4 takes place Thursday at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J. The main card airs on ESPN2 following prelims on ESPN+.