Anthony Pettis was looking to capitalise on a division riddled with injuries to quickly rise back to the #1 contender spot. He now becomes the latest to be sidelined in the UFC’s lightweight division.
According to Pettis’ manager Mike Roberts and head coach Duke Roufus, Pettis suffered a torn muscle and ligaments in his elbow Tuesday night during wrestling practice.
“MMA is a very physically demanding sport,” Roufus said, “especially the wrestling and grappling. Our fighters rarely get an injury from striking that causes a cancellation. It’s the wrestling and grappling.”
Pettis’ manager discussed Anthony’s current mood:
“His exact words to me were, ‘I just can’t catch a break,'” Roberts said. “He’s devastated. He was excited to start his climb back to the title.”
The lightweight division is now the UFC’s equivalent to a ghost town. 4 of their top 5 fighters are injured or not competing in the division. The champion, RDA, has been injured since defeating Pettis, Khabib Nurmagomedov is out for a few months with a recent injury, Henderson has moved up a division and Showtime is done until the fall.
It’s up to Cowboy Cerrone to carry the division until the rest of these guys return.