UFC's Anthony Pettis set for surgery after title shot goes to Frankie Edgar
With a title shot not on the immediate horizon, Anthony Pettis is making sure he's completely ready when his time comes.
The former WEC lightweight champion and top-tier UFC lightweight is set to undergo surgery for an undisclosed injury, manager Mike Roberts today told MMAjunkie.com (
www.mmajunkie.com).
The move was first revealed on Tuesday's edition of "UFC Tonight" on FUEL TV.
According to a report on MMAWeekly.com, Pettis (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) will be out of action for eight weeks but should be ready to fight by mid to late summer.
Earlier this month, former champ Frankie Edgar (14-2-1 MMA, 9-2-1 UFC) was granted an immediate rematch with new champ Benson Henderson (16-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) for this summer. That took the opportunity off the table for Pettis, who wowed fans by knocking out Joe Lauzon at UFC 144 with an 81-second head-kick KO. It was his second consecutive win following a decision loss to Clay Guida that scratched a possible No. 1 contender's spot.
Recent rumors suggested Pettis might defect to Strikeforce to vie for champ Gilbert Melendez's belt, but those were shot down by Roberts. Another rumor that he was headed to featherweight to challenge UFC champ Jose Aldo was similarly dismissed.
"I'm not dropping to 145 to fight aldo!" Pettis tweeted. "155 is my home, and I'll get that belt soon!!!"
From the sidelines, Pettis will watch Henderson vs. Edgar II with heightened interest. If the title bout takes place sometime in the summer, he could be forced to wait until the fall to meet the winner, or he could choose to take a fight as soon as he's ready. He faced a similar situation when Edgar fought Maynard to a draw at UFC 125, which delayed a title shot he was supposed to receive after he won the WEC belt in the promotion's final show. He chose instead to fight Guida, and fell short.
Pettis will surely have plenty of time to think about options in the next few months.
