Anthony Pettis cleared to resume training following elbow surgery

Don't call it a comeback, he's been injured here for years.

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight champion Anthony Pettis (18-3) will be strapping on the gloves for the first time since late May, as doctors have given "Showtime" the green light to resume punching after his impromptu elbow surgery.

From his official Instagram account:

#Repost @dukeroufus with @repostapp. ・・・ Guess who's back? @showtimepettis is approved to start punching after his surgery. @reebok @reebokone @ufc #Reebok #ReebokOne #ufc #mma #martialarts

A photo posted by Anthony Pettis (@showtimepettis) on Jul 16, 2015 at 12:47pm PDT

#Repost @dukeroufus with @repostapp. ・・・ Guess who's back? @showtimepettis is approved to start punching after his surgery. @reebok @reebokone @ufc #Reebok #ReebokOne #ufc #mma #martialarts

There's no hurry, as far as I'm concerned, though early estimates indicate a fall return.

Now that Pettis, 28, no longer wears the 155-pound strap -- thanks to a lopsided defeat to Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185 earlier this year in Dallas, Texas, the urgency to get him back inside the Octagon isn't what it used to be. Besides, the one lightweight most fans want him to fight is also riding the pine (thanks to this).

Stay glassy.