Anthony Pettis Says Developing Mental Strength Was Key to Secure UFC Fight Night Victory

Anthony Pettis took on Alex Morono on Saturday at UFC Vegas 17. The card was the last fight card for the year before the UFC returns in one month. ‘Showtime‘ took on Morono at 170-pounds as the last fight on the preliminary card. 

Pettis was able to secure a resounding unanimous decision win over Morono and in the process move to 2-0. This was the first time since 2014 that ‘Showtime’ has secured two back-to-back victories in the UFC. 

Read: “Tony makes sense”- Anthony Pettis eyeing rematch with Tony Ferguson 

Anthony Pettis secures a first consecutive win since 2014

In the post-fight interviews, Brett Okamoto of ESPN asked ‘Showtime’ if he was able to display his mindset in the fight against Morono.

He said, “Yeah man, the biggest thing is I got to flex that mind-muscle in the first round. You know I threw that jump-around scissors kick I fell on my back and he hit me with two good punches. I felt it right to the face, I could immediately smell the blood, even before it came out I was like here comes the blood.”

‘Showtime’ continued, “Then I went face down and started dripping out that blood. And that’s when you can freak out and find a way out, or you can push through it and be like there is a way to win this fight and I did that man… Usually, I would revert  to old fights and my mind would not be in that cage you know… working with this coach a lot of me let go of that stuff.”

Leading up to the fight, Pettis revealed that he had made significant changes in his life. ‘Showtime’ cut out alcohol and marijuana from his life in order to become the best version of himself inside the cage. 

Pettis seemed like a man reinvigorated throughout the whole fight week. And performed like we were used to seeing him perform. After the fight, ‘Showtime’ announced that he would be moving back down to lightweight for one last charge at the belt. 

What did you make of Pettis’ performance on Saturday? Let us know in the comments below!

Read: Anthony Pettis Reveals Why He Cut Out Marijuana and Alcohol from His Life