Anthony Pettis’ second attempt to hit the 145-pound mark didn’t go as smooth as his first, as "Showtime" came in three pounds too heavy for his scheduled interim title fight against Max Holloway at UFC 206.
As a result, the former Lightweight champion of the world is headed back to 155 pounds after suffering a technical knockout loss to "Blessed" in the headlining act of last night’s (Sat., Dec. 10, 2016) pay-per-view (PPV) event in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
And it’s not as a result of the loss, but rather, the difficulty of the weight cut.
"(I broke my hand on the) first punch," Pettis said during his post-fight Octagon interview, who suffered a broken hand early in the bout. "First right I hit him with hit him on the top of the head. Broke my hand. It’s fucking swollen right here, so I got to deal with that shit."
"(It’s) too much to make the cut, bro," Pettis said. "I was dying from the weight cut. Literally they had to pull me out of the sauna. I depleted my body, so it’s too much of a cut. I have to go back (to lightweight). I can’t make the 45 weight cut. It’s too much."
It’s a sentiment company president Dana White agrees with, as he proclaimed that perhaps Anthony was "too old and too big" to make the drop. In addition, Pettis gave Max his props for doing what no one else has done to him inside the cage.
"Max Holloway’s a beast, bro," Pettis said. "I swear. Kid did this right, man. He got in here and would stand with me and he got the belt, bro. He’s a good fighter."
It will be a tough ladder to climb for Pettis at 155 pounds, as he is currently riding a three fight losing streak in the division, dropping consecutive fights to Edson Barboza, Rafael dos Anjos and Eddie Alvarez.
Nevertheless, "Showtime" is hoping for a fresh start in very familiar territory. Anyone have any ideas for a potential foe?
For complete UFC 206 results and coverage click here.