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#3 Anthony Pettis
UFC was planning big things for Anthony Pettis right from the get-go, his first fight in the UFC was supposed to be for the Lightweight Championship.
‘Showtime’ won the equivalent 155 belt in the final fight of UFC’s feeder league, WEC. During the fight, the acrobatic Pettis landed a switch kick while in mid-air against champion Benson Henderson.
Footage of the kick was broadcast all over the world; it was dubbed the Showtime Kick.
Instead of sitting out a few months for a UFC lightweight title shot, Pettis opted to fight Clay Guida.
It ended up being the wrong decision, Pettis was outwrestled and lost via decision. It took Pettis two years to build up enough wins to get back in line for a UFC title shot.
In the interim, his old rival Benson Henderson had won the lightweight title; their rematch was set for UFC 164.
Pettis got the win via armbar in the first round. He had made it, Pettis was set to be the big lightweight superstar the UFC was looking for.
Pettis started in the Ulitmate Fighter series as a coach, he successfully defended his title against rival coach Gilbert Melendez, and Pettis won a fan vote to become the first MMA fighter to be on a Wheaties box.
Afterward, the slump began. Pettis lost his lightweight title to Rafael Dos Anjos in a fight where he was roundly dominated.
He dropped two more fights after that, prompting Pettis to drop to featherweight to restart his career.
He won his first fight at 145 and was scheduled to fight Max Holloway for the interim featherweight title, but Pettis came in at 148 at the weigh-ins, three pounds over the limit.
Pettis was fined 20% of his purse and ended up losing the bout via TKO. Pettis has returned to lightweight and has gone 1-1 since then.
At 31, Pettis still has time to launch another bid for the belt. However, he will likely never be that draw the UFC hoped for.
