Showtime: Anthony Pettis' 5 greatest performances

A successful featherweight debut and a series of fortunate events have Anthony Pettis on the cusp of becoming the UFC's fourth two-division champion.

"Showtime" sat atop the promotion's lightweight division just two years ago, and an injury to Daniel Cormier set the wheels in motion for his interim featherweight title matchup with Max Holloway in the newly anointed main event of UFC 206 in Toronto on Dec. 10.

Pettis' featherweight foray began this past August, when he submitted Charles Oliveira in the third round of a Fight of the Year candidate, just one of countless memorable performances from the Milwaukee product.

Here are five of them:

Benson Henderson I - WEC 53

Pettis pulled out all the stops to capture Benson Henderson's WEC lightweight title and live up to his nickname.

Then just 23, Pettis staved off some early takedowns and a late-round submission scare before landing the kick that now bears his moniker and has since been immortalized. With a minute left to go in the highly contested bout, the Milwaukee native launched himself off the cage to land the "Showtime" kick square on Henderson's jaw, sending him crashing to the canvas.

The last-ditch display of showmanship sealed a sweep of the scorecards, making Pettis the promotion's last 155-pound king.

Joe Lauzon - UFC 144

To the surprise of no one, this clash between two proven finishers produced fireworks in short order.

Joe Lauzon came into the bout with a two straight first-round finishes, a streak Pettis would extend, but with an undesired result. Pettis - coming off a close, albeit uneventful decision over Jeremy Stephens - leveled the ever-game Lauzon with an all-shin head kick before sprinkling in some punches for good measure to seal the stoppage just 1:21 into the bout.

Donald Cerrone - UFC on FOX 6

Pettis and Donald Cerrone cut their teeth in the WEC, but they wouldn't lock horns until they'd joined the world's preeminent promotion.

True to their track records as two technically proficient strikers, the pair traded leather for the entirety of their brief dance in the Octagon, with "Cowboy" dialing up the aggression in an effort to prove he was the superior standup artist. Pettis rewarded Cerrone's initiative with a blistering body kick that wilted him to the canvas at the 2:35 mark for Pettis' second straight first-round stoppage.

Benson Henderson II - UFC 164

History has a funny way of repeating itself.

Pettis met Henderson in the Octagon three years after handing him his first loss in the WEC, and he once again exited the cage with a belt around his waist. Pettis fed Henderson's midsection a steady diet of kicks, prompting the defending champion to take the fight to the ground, a move he'd soon rue. "Smooth" succumbed to an armbar in the waning moments of Round 1, mere seconds after putting Pettis on his back.

In a poetic stroke of deja vu, the submission also marked the first blemish on Henderson's UFC record.

Gilbert Melendez - UFC 181

For a round and change, Gilbert Melendez appeared destined to bring an ugly end to Pettis' meteoric rise.

"El Nino" wisely neutralized the champion's striking by grinding him against the cage for the better part of their short-lived bout, but a failed takedown attempt allowed Pettis to swiftly turn the tables in Round 2. Pettis stuffed Melendez's shot before converting the ensuing scramble into a vise-like guillotine choke for the tapout.

The victory - Pettis' first and only as a UFC champion - capped a five-fight undefeated run with four straight finishes.