Anthony Pettis’ PFL debut did not go as planned. Though he had his moments, Pettis was outdone by the boxing of Clay Collard.
That decision loss left him with zero points heading into his second (and final) fight of the 2021 regular season, at PFL 4 this Thursday. “Back’s against the wall. I need that finish,” Pettis (24-11) said during Tuesday’s pre-fight press conference promoting the event. So you can expect “Showtime” with that in mind.
This time out, Pettis is up against Alex Martinez. Lesser known, but undefeated and highly motivated. Asked where he might have the edge, the former UFC/WEC lightweight champ suggested “I think I’ve got the experience, obviously. I’ve been in there with some of the best in the game.”
“Watching his fights, he comes from a Taekwondo background,” observed Pettis, who noted that he’s very familiar with that discipline thanks to his own upbringing in martial arts. “I was surprised with his ability to fight off his back. There was a lot of stuff I took away from his first fight, there was a lot of stuff I took away from my first fight.”
Ahead of the bout, Martinez has admitted that he looked up to Pettis, one of the biggest free agent pick-ups for the PFL this season. It’s not the first time “Showtime” has thrown down with a fighter who admires him.
“It’s crazy. It’s happened in the last couple fights honestly. It’s crazy because I’m still young in this game, but I’ve been around so long,” said Pettis, who in addition to being a multi-promotion champ once appeared on the Wheaties box. “I’ve fought at the top of the top, I’ve fought the biggest names in this sport. So I can see why it happens.”
Watch the full PFL 4 pre-fight press conference above. The event airs live this Thursday, June 11, 2021 live from Atlantic City, NJ. Catch all the action on ESPN 2 and ESPN+, and TSN in Canada.
