(Exclusive): Anthony Pettis opens up on preparedness for unique Karate fight with former UFC lightweight champion

Anthony Pettis recently opened up about his unique preparations for his upcoming bout against a former UFC lightweight champion in Karate Combat.

During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, the former UFC and WEC lightweight champion shared his thoughts on his upcoming Karate Combat debut, where he will compete against Benson Henderson for the third time in their legendary careers.

'Showtime' mentioned that he doesn't know what to expect from his former foe becuase they last fought each other a decade ago, and that the Karate Combat pit has changed the way he is approaching the fight.

Pettis said:

"The pit for sure...Not offensive wise, but defensive wise, like, I got to be very careful of my stepping backwards because you don't want to fall back on that pit and be subject to axe kicks and the punches. I've never been in that position before." [5:19 - 5:33]

Anthony Pettis also brought up that he has even attempted to replicate the feeling of the Karate Combat pit in his training camp. He mentioned that being in the actual pit will be different, but noted that he is excited to let his creativity shine in that environment, saying:

"The biggest difference I would say is like the actual shape of the pit but it also allows me to run up that thing, bro because coming off a vertical wall is way harder than coming off of a slant. So yeah, I'm excited to go out there and see what I could do with that thing." [5:44 - 5:58]

It will be interesting to see whether Anthony Pettis can complete his clean sweep over Benson Henderson and earn a win in the Karate Combat pit.

Check out the full interview:

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Anthony Pettis shares his thoughts on CM Punk's WWE return

Anthony Pettis recently shared his thoughts on teammate and former UFC competitor CM Punk making his long awaited return to WWE last month at Survivor Series.

During the aforementioned interview, 'Showtime' brought up that the Chicago native had been one of his guests for his APFC event the week prior to Survivor Series and he never made any mention of a WWE return. He expressed his excitement to see CM Punk return to WWE, saying:

"I was surprised like everybody else...He didn't say anything about it...One of the most humblest guys you'll ever meet. So I was very excited for him and I text him right away, and I think his response was, 'Let's take over the world, brother.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, let's go, man. That's awesome.'" [15:06 - 15:44]

Check out CM Punk's WWE return below: