Video: Anthony Pettis Calls PFL Debut ‘Sloppy’

Anthony Pettis gives himself a reality check about his loss to Clay Collard, but looks ahead to Raush Manfio at PFL 6 and the subsequent 2021 playoffs.

Anthony Pettis does not grade his PFL debut highly, but he is putting Clay Collard behind him and looking ahead to Raush Manfio at PFL 6, taking place Fri., June 25 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Pettis (24-11) snapped a two-fight win streak after losing a unanimous decision to Collard back in April. “Showtime” nearly made a comeback in round three, but could not make up the gap in the first two periods.

“When I look at the performance, I judge myself based on how present I was. What adjustments was I making? I didn’t make any adjustments,” Pettis said in the video above. “It kind of happened so quick, it felt like I didn’t have time to make adjustments and make movements and make the right decisions and transitions to fight a guy like Collard.”

“I tried to force things: big kicks and big jumps. I was falling around in the cage. I kind of looked sloppy and that pissed me off. I’m too good to look that sloppy out there,” he reflected. “Honestly, the kick hit him and I saw he was wobbled, but then I hit him with that jump knee. That’s when I thought I had him… He took it. He wanted to win that fight.”

Pettis expressed the importance of shaking off the pressure and leaving the past where it belongs.

“When I got back to Vegas, I went back home and focused on the basics. I think when I go back in this one here, all that pressure is off me. I kind of just feel like I have to go out there and perform and be myself again. And I feel like I’m in a better spot,” Pettis said. “I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of. The world has seen it before. If you allow yourself to get attached to that past moment, you can’t be in the present and you can’t create that future that you want. So right now I’m just focusing on being in this moment… I’m looking to get to the playoffs so my job is set out for me. I gotta go out there and get the finish.”

PFL 6 takes place on Fri., June 25 at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ. on ESPN2 and ESPN+. The card is headlined by Kayla Harrison vs. Cindy Dandois and also features Anthony Pettis vs. Raush Manfio.

For more on PFL and its ongoing season, click here.