Anthony Pettis: Another 'Showtime kick' will make me the face of PFL

Anthony Pettis is hoping to make a big splash during the next chapter of his career.

The former UFC lightweight champion signed with the PFL as a free agent in December, ending his nine-year run in the Octagon. He's set to make his debut against Clay Collard in the PFL 1 main event Friday in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Ahead of the event, theScore spoke with Pettis about why he left the UFC for the PFL, the promotion's season format, how he'll remember his time in the UFC, and much more.

(Editor's note: This interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity.)

theScore: What made you want to sign with the PFL the most?

Pettis: The partnership. They're giving me an opportunity to do what I want to do. When you're with the UFC, Bellator, other promotions, you're exclusive, you can't really do anything else besides what they allow you to do. I was looking for a place where I could have options of other things if I wanted to. At this point in my career, I was like, "I've been here so long, I've done it once, why not go try somewhere else?"

That's when the initial talk opened up. Then my little brother signed with Bellator (in late 2019), and that really opened my eyes up. It wasn't bad at all. It was a good experience. It felt like they took care of him well, and that's something that opened my eyes up. And that's not to say the UFC didn't take care of me - they took care of me very well. But at this point, I want to see what else is out there, and that's why I fought for my free agency.

theScore: After you fought out your contract in December, many people thought you would join your brother, Sergio, in Bellator. Did you consider Bellator, or was the PFL always the front-runner?

Pettis: When we got to the numbers, and we got to what I was looking for and what I needed and what I felt like I was worth at this time in my career, I didn't need to go and battle with other organizations. This is a season format. I'm here for two seasons. After these two seasons, we'll see what's next. Maybe we stay here and we continue winning these belts. Who knows what happens. That's the cool thing about it.

Initially, it was a little scary for me to leave everything I built in the UFC and WEC, my name over there. But where I'm at right now feels amazing. PFL is doing a great job of taking care of their athletes and making us feel like professional fighters. I can't complain.

theScore: You mentioned the ability to do other things while under contract with the PFL. What does that entail?

Pettis: Pretty much, after the season is over, then I have a couple months of nothing. There's time in between the seasons.

Whether that looks like a superfight with me and somebody else on the roster, whether it looks like a boxing match, or whether it looks like a grappling match, whatever I feel like doing, I have the ability to do it. I can approach the PFL with an idea and be like, "Hey, let's do this together as a joint venture," or they can allow me to do it on my own.

That was a big reason I wanted to sign with the PFL, but also knowing I can become another champion by the end of the season. It was like, "OK, if I'm fighting for legacy, I need more belts. And if I'm going to get more belts, this one makes sense, because it's a format that I can obtain a belt in a year, possibly do it again next year, and then decide from there what happens."

theScore: For a while, you were one of the faces of the UFC. Sergio followed in your footsteps to become a top contender himself. Now, in 2021, neither of you are in that promotion. Is it strange to think about that?

Pettis: Not at all. When Sergio left and I was in the UFC, I think it felt strange for him. But we're professional prize fighters. We fight to get paid and make a living for our families. We need the big fights. ... Sergio got his shine over there at Bellator, and I feel like he's by himself over there. When he signed with the UFC, it was like, "He's Anthony's little brother." Now he's in Bellator, and that's all him. That's his league over there. I'll be in his corner after my fight. My home is the PFL, and I feel like both of us are having a great time with it and having fun again.

theScore: The PFL has a much different format than any other MMA promotion. What about it excites you the most?

Pettis: I feel like I'm back in my taekwondo days, chasing tournament points and stuff. Back in the day, I fought in tournaments. That's all I did. I would drive myself - me and my older brother, I was like 15, 16, we were chasing points all around the U.S. This kind of feels like that same mindset. Like, "Alright, not only do I have to win, but I need to get the most points and make sure I secure my spot for the end of the year." Getting ready for a physical fight, but at the same time, there's an objective that we all have to hit.

theScore: Were you pretty adamant about competing at lightweight and not welterweight? If so, why?

Pettis: Yeah. I was going to go to 155 no matter what. If that Alex Morono fight wouldn't have happened on 20 days' notice - that's why I fought at 170 - I was planning on going to 155 again. I just had to get my life outside the Octagon together to make 155 and make it happily. When you're in the right mental spot and your life outside isn't chaotic, then it's easier to make weight, and then you're not dying and it doesn't become this crazy struggle. That's why I went up to 170 for a little bit: life outside of the Octagon.

When I got to the PFL bubble in Atlantic City, I was 14 pounds overweight. That's 17 days out. I don't think I've ever been that light coming into a 155-pound fight. I'm definitely excited. It's my first time here. All these little butterflies, things I haven't felt for a long time. You feel them again, and it makes you get extra prepared.

theScore: That's interesting. Even as a veteran of the sport and a former UFC champion, you feel more nervous than usual because it's a new promotion?

Pettis: When I think about it and I let my mind travel down that path of nervousness, anxiety, and what could happen, oh man, there's so much more at stake than where I was at before. Some of those fights were like, oh, it's a tough fight, you're supposed to win or lose. But I come over here and I'm the big name, I'm the draw, I'm the main event on the first card. The previous two-time champion is fighting before me. If I let my mind go on that path, there's a lot to attach to. But like I said, I'm cleaning up my life outside the Octagon, and that gives me the ability to not let that happen.

theScore: The PFL made some big signings ahead of the 2021 season, including you and Fabricio Werdum. How do you feel about where the PFL sits in the MMA landscape overall?

Pettis: I think this is probably one of the biggest buzzes out of any organization that quickly - from a year off to the next season. But at the same time, mixed martial arts is everywhere right now. People want to see this. It's my job right now to get all the eyes on the PFL, making sure everybody watches this fight. "Showtime" is made for these moments. I feel good kind of becoming the face of this thing. ... I'm taking it as my job to become the face of this organization.

theScore: What do you have to do to accomplish that?

Pettis: A "Showtime kick" (laughs). You have to hit a "Showtime kick," and it's over.

theScore: You've done it before, and it worked pretty well for you.

Pettis: It worked well, man. If it's not broken, why change it?

theScore: How will you remember your time in the UFC?

Pettis: I had a blast. That's one thing that I could always say - every time I go out there, I put on a fight. Even if I have a shitty training camp, I still have a good, fun fight, because that's just who I am. I think I learned a lot, and I made a lot of career mistakes. Fights I shouldn't have taken on the notice that I had and with where my mindset was at. Getting out of shape in between camps. There's so many little things that I learned from all my time over there. And I'm only 34 years old, so I feel like I'm taking all that with me, and I'm starting from experience.

theScore: Do you regret taking certain fights? Or letting yourself get out of shape between fights?

Pettis: Yeah. One prime example is when I fought Dustin Poirier. I got cut - Montel Jackson is the one who cut me. He's a UFC fighter. We were sparring, and he caught me with a left hook, and it was right above my eye. It just hit the right spot, and it was pretty bad.

I went and got stitches, and I made the decision that I was still going to take the fight. I put on the silicon bandaids, wore the headbands. I couldn't spar at all, obviously, because of the cut. (Head coach) Duke (Roufus) didn't want me to fight, and we were going through some stuff as well. There was a lot of emotion that I went through that camp. I was just like, "I'm going to block it out, I'm a fighter, I got this."

It didn't turn out my way. When you lose a fight like that, it changes the trajectory of your career. I could've been onto the next lightweight that would've gotten me to that title shot. But because I made a dumb decision to take a fight compromised, shit happens.

I regret things like that. Stuff that happens in the fight, like breaking my hand against Tony Ferguson, you can't control that. But injuries before the fight, bad weight cuts, little things like that - I've learned, and they won't happen again.