5 potential surprises that could happen at UFC 229

#3: Pettis could upset the odds

Anthony Pettis showed flashes of his previous form against Michael Chiesa

The co-main event of UFC 229 sees a battle of former champions at 155lbs – Anthony Pettis, who held the title from 2013 to 2015 before losing to Rafael Dos Anjos faces off against former Interim champion Tony Ferguson, who was stripped of his title following a knee injury earlier this year.

Practically everyone seems to think this will be Ferguson’s fight to lose. After all, ‘El Cucuy’ is on a ten-fight win streak, has destroyed the likes of Dos Anjos, Kevin Lee, Edson Barboza and Josh Thomson, and looks like perhaps the most difficult challenge for either Nurmagomedov or McGregor.

On the flipside, Pettis hasn’t looked truly impressive since his 2014 win over Gilbert Melendez. That was followed by his losses to Dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez and Edson Barboza, and while he’s picked up a couple of wins since, he’s only shown flashes of his former greatness.

But is it out of the realm of possibility that we see the return of the real ‘Showtime’ at UFC 229? Well, not completely. His July win over Michael Chiesa was probably his best performance since that Melendez fight – he looked more willing to push the pace and more confident in his offence – and he’s still only 31 – hardly an old man, even in MMA terms.

Add in the fact that Ferguson’s coming off an apparently serious knee injury, and the apparent curse on a potential Ferguson/Nurmagomedov fight, and you just never know. For the UFC brass – who have always adored Pettis – at least, a ‘Showtime’ win would be a welcome surprise.