Anthony Pettis still open to featherweight fight against Conor McGregor

Plans to drop to featherweight were dashed a few years back after former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis suffered a knee injury, one that cancelled his much-anticipated "super fight" against current division champion, Jose Aldo.

But that doesn't mean "Showtime" has given up on big-money bouts at 145 pounds.

Aside from wanting to settle his business with Aldo, Pettis recently told GNP1.de via (Bloody Elbow) that a potential showdown against Conor McGregor is intriguing, as well. He also has a message for "Notorious" after the scrappy Irishman claimed he was going to move up to lightweight and clean house.

"It's all talk until it happens, man. He talks well, he's doing a great job for his weight class. I mean, there would be no big money fights in featherweight, besides... that's why I was gonna move down there. Me and Aldo was gonna be a big money fight for Aldo, but now with Conor McGregor in there, talking himself up, making himself marketable. Good for him doing that, but lightweight is a whole different place. It's not featherweight. Featherweight is... I mean, besides Aldo, there's not much..., I mean, there is talent, Frankie Edgar, Chad Mendes, (but) lightweight is the deepest division in the UFC, it's a totally different story. For him to say, he's gonna come up there and walk through everybody, it's crazy. He's only beat Chad Mendes, one guy in the featherweight class that's top five. I mean, featherweight has always been an option. I want my belt back, that's my main goal. You know, I'm doing well financially, I'm not hurting at all. So for me, the goal right now is getting my belt back. What happens after that fight, we'll see. People wanna see McGregor, I fight McGregor, people wanna see Aldo, I fight Aldo, that's what it's all about."

First things first, as Pettis is on a quest to regain his strap after coughing it up to Rafael dos Anjos earlier this year.

And it begins on Jan. 17, 2015, when "Showtime" takes on Eddie Alvarez at the UFC Fight Night 81 event on FOX Sports 1 in Boston, Massachusetts. A bout in which Pettis is the clear fan favorite, says Alvarez.

"For me, it's just a comeback fight. I want to compete and get my belt back. I was on top of the world, had a bad performance. That wasn't me in that fight, you know? I feel like, if that fight would have happened ten times, nine out of ten I would have beat him. It was just that one day that I was off, I wasn't myself. I think Eddie's tough, he has great hands, he's been around for a long time, he's been in five-round fights, so we know, he has the gas tank, the ability to compete at the highest level."

Anyone care to see the former 155-pound champion tango with the best combatants the 145-pound division has to offer?