Anthony Pettis' UFC 213 win should not be understated.
It's been over two years since Anthony Pettis held the UFC Lightweight title. It's been two and a half since he won a fight. He had a failed Featherweight run where he missed weight and ran into a murderer's row of Rafael dos Anjos, Eddie Alvarez, Edson Barboza before making the move.
Saturday night, Anthony Pettis looked like "Showtime" again, and in the division he belongs in. His footwork was back where it needed to be. His takedown defense was greatly improved. He kept his distance from Jim Miller, who is as game as anyone in the division -- almost to the point you can barely predict the outcome of any of his fights.
After the fight, Pettis said that Lightweight is his home, and the weight cut did more negative than positive for his career. The 155 division welcomes him, too. It's never been stronger, and having a former champion not only bolsters the division, but provides some security in the event that a big fight falls out.
Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz fight when they want, and it seems like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Al Iaquinta are in that same boat. Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos left the division, but it hasn't missed a beat with the emergence of Kevin Lee and Justin Gaethje. Tony Ferguson, Edson Barboza, Eddie Alvarez are proven commodities. Anthony Pettis will likely join an already loaded 155 pound top 15, and by the looks of Saturday, he deserves it.
It's a little unusual to say a former UFC Champion's performance was impressive, but it was. The ground work against a black belt the level of Jim Miller is nothing to overlook. We saw Pettis put together the tools that made him a force, and a king in the division.
I have to admit, I was starting to wonder if younger brother Sergio would end up being the better of the two brothers. Anthony made me doubt that a little more at UFC 213.
So let's get Gilbert Melendez the hell out of those official UFC rankings, shall we!?
Check out our UFC 213 coverage at this link.
