The Past and Future 05.04.09: Anthony Pettis

Posted by Robert Steele on 05.04.2009

“There is so much I have in my arsenal that people haven't seen yet.” This week a profile of debuting WEC fighter Anthony Pettis. He discusses his traditional martial arts background, his upcoming fight with Mike Campbell, and more.

Anthony Pettis is one of the brightest prospects at 155lbs, but he is still yet to make his WEC debut to showcase his talent. A life-long student of an assortment of martial arts and boxing, a listed 6-0 undefeated professional record, and the tragic loss of his father during a house robbery in 2003, has brought him to where he is today. He is set to debut at WEC 41 against Mike Campbell.



The Past:

Since the age of five, Anthony Pettis has studied martial arts and boxing. He began with Taekwon-do, taking as much as he could from it. "I would say Taekwon-do gave me a strong foundation to build my MMA style," he said. "I am a quick learner when it comes to any martial arts, because I grew up doing martial arts my whole life."

While he said he doesn't use every aspect of Taekwon-do, he does use a certain amount of effective techniques that cause damage. His coach Duke Roufus -- who also has a traditional martial arts background -- has helped Pettis modify and hone his Taekwon-do, helping translate it effectively to MMA.

With his solid base in traditional martial arts and boxing, plus putting together other elements of MMA, he would win three amateur fights. According to Pettis, after these three wins there was difficulty finding another amateur fighter, so his coach informed him that he needed to fight his next fight as a professional.

Pettis fought within his local Wisconsin promotion, Gladiators Cage Fighting, going undefeated in his appearances. "Gladiators Fighting is one of the best shows in Wisconsin," Pettis said. "I made my name in the Gladiators Fighting shows. It was a great experience for me. Their shows are very professional and well-run. I want to thank all the people involved with the Gladiators Fighting Series."

One of the his most exciting fights within Gladiators was in March of 2008 against the strong wrestling of Mike Lambrecht. Anthony reflected on his dramatic win:

"I knew Mike Lambrecht was a good wrestler, so I was trying to keep my range and not let him get the take-down. So for the first minute of the fight I was picking him apart with punches. I knew I had him hurt so I went for the kill with a Superman punch. But he shot hard and it was too late for me to sprawl. He picked me up and slammed me to the
canvas. I made the mistake of trying to break my fall with my right arm. He dislocated my right shoulder from the slam.

"I was able to get back to my feet… I knew I was hurt so I had to end this fight. I tried with a left knee, but it didn't land. So I stepped back and looked at his leg, like I was going to low kick the crap out of him. He thought I was going to low kick him, so he tried to check the kick…. I was just setting him up for the head kick. I landed the head kick perfect; he was knocked-out before he fell.

"The crowd went crazy because everyone knew I was hurt and thought I was going to get my first loss. I love wining, but I hate losing more than I love to win."



In Pettis' last fight within Gladiators he injured his hand. Soon after the surgery on his hand, he got a call to fight Anthony Njokuani at WEC 40. Not wanting to turn down the opportunity and thinking his hand would be alright, he accepted the offer. "Two weeks before the fight I fractured it in a sparring session," Pettis said. "I was forced to withdraw from the fight. I hate backing out of fights, I trained so hard for the fight, but this was out of my control. I let my hand rest and now I am ready for my WEC debut, baby!"

The Future:

Anthony Pettis credits a lot of where he is today to Duke Roufus of Roufusport. "I was very fortunate to live where one of the greatest kick boxers, coaches, and martial artist ever runs his gym," Anthony said. "Duke Roufus is one of the best mentors a kid with my dreams and goals can have."

With Roufusport, Pettis trains and spars with fellow MMA fighters, Eric "Red" Shafer, Pat "HD" Barry, and Alan "The Talent" Belcher.

I asked Pettis about what has been an emphasis on stand-up, striking in his previous MMA fights. "I have a very strong stand-up game," Pettis said, "but I also have a very strong ground game that no one has seen yet. Most of my fights were ended with TKO's and KO's, but none of my previous opponents pushed me to my limits. There is so much I have in my arsenal that people haven't seen yet."

His fight against Mike Campbell may not reveal this ground game just yet, as Campbell is another fighter with most of his wins coming by KO or TKO. However, like Pettis, Campbell is also said to have a good ground game when needed.

Pettis indicated he is still working on the proper game-plan for Campbell. "I don't know too much about Mike Campbell, but I've seen his last fight in the WEC. He's a south-paw striker with some big power. He comes from a great camp and I'm sure he is training hard."

Pettis has set a goal of becoming a long-standing WEC Lightweight champion. "I am only 22 years old, so I have a long career in front of me."

Anthony Pettis would like to thank: "Duke Roufus, all my teammates from Roufusport, The WEC, Sucker Punch ent., Evolution Martial Arts, my family & friends, and everyone that believes in me. Also I would like to thank a couple of sponsors that been with me from the start: US Metal Finishing, Lids N Clips, Waka Chan tattoos, CAR-MIN construction, Smoothylicious, and Combat Corner Fight Shop."