(Exclusive): "Learn from the failures" - Former UFC champ Anthony Pettis shares advice he would give to his younger self

Anthony Pettis recently reflected on some memorable moments from his MMA career and shared what advice he would give to his younger self.

The former UFC and WEC lightweight champion achieved plenty of success throughout his MMA career and competed in a number of weight divisions. During an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda MMA, 'Showtime' opened up on having to overcome adversity after achieving success early in his career and mentioned that he would tell himself to embrace setbacks rather than be fearful of them. He said:

"Keep going, man. The biggest thing is learning from your failures. I used to be so afraid to fail. I think when you have success like I had, that really quick success. You know, I fought four times in the WEC, world champion. Supposed to fight for the UFC world title. Like, it happened really quick. You get afraid of failure."

Pettis continued by highlighting the importance of using his setbacks and failures as learning experiences. He added that it is important to continue to improve and grow to make the most out of his career, saying:

"You stop growing as a fighter, as a athlete, because you're so afraid of failure and then once I had those failures I'm like, 'Man, that's not what I'm identified by. There's more to my life.' You know, setbacks will happen but learn from the failures and keep that growth mindset."

Pettis is clearly following what he's preaching in terms of keeping his growth mindset, as he most recently fought in Karate Combat and is planning on competing in a number of boxing bouts in 2024.

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Anthony Pettis remains unbeaten against Benson Henderson in all competitions

Anthony Pettis and Benson Henderson have had quite the rivalry during their legendary careers and the two recently added another chapter to their story.

The former UFC and WEC lightweight champions took their rivalry from the cage to the Karate Combat pit as they headlined KC 43. It was an entertaining bout that required a sudden death seventh round, which saw both men slug it out. Ultimately, Anthony Pettis earned the unanimous decision win and improved to 3-0 against Henderson.