Getty Anderson Silva
Former UFC and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis wants to box the 185-pound mixed martial arts GOAT, Anderson Silva.
Pettis made his professional boxing debut this past Saturday as the Gamebred 4 cruiserweight headliner opposite legend Roy Jones Jr. And it was a success for “Showtime.” He battled the 54-year-old former multiple-division world champion for eight rounds and after the dust settled, Pettis was awarded the win via majority decision.
During the event’s post-fight press conference, Pettis made it clear that although he’s down to compete in mixed martial arts again, he also wants to continue his boxing campaign. And that involves a meeting with “The Spider.”
“I’d love to fight Anderson Silva,” Pettis said. “That was supposed to happen in the UFC. I think for me, weight definitely matters. But, I’m going to pay attention to my coaches. I’m one of the guys: anywhere, any time, don’t matter the ruleset. I’m down to fight.”
“I think we’ll be strategic on the fights I take,” Pettis continued. “I’m having fun with this. I’m having a good time, I’m getting better, I’m enjoying the process. I showed some good skills out there, I think. So, I think I definitely have some more fun to have over here in boxing.”
Comparing Their Last Outings, Pettis Weighed In Heavier Than The Spider
Although Pettis’ best work as a mixed martial artist has happened at 155 pounds, he weighed in at 198.5 pounds for his cruiserweight tilt with Jones. For Silva, he is viewed as the greatest 185-pound MMA fighter of all time. However, Showtime weighed more than Silva did for his last boxing match against Jake Paul. The Spider hit the scale at 186.1 pounds in October — he ultimately lost the bout via unanimous decision.
Silva is 2-1 as a professional boxer since leaving the UFC in 2020, and although he is 47 years old and coming off a loss, he still seems set on continuing his combat sports career.
Pettis Is a Free Agents, Wants to Return to the Welterweight Division in MMA
Pettis left the UFC at the end of 2020 on a two-fight win streak at 170 pounds. He ended up in the Professional Fighters League where he’d compete as a 155 pounder for five contests, wracking up a 1-4 spread. When speaking with the media after toppling Jones, the current free agent said that his return to MMA was imminent, but that he’d be moving back up to welterweight.
But, Pettis is unsure which combat sport he’ll compete in next. “I don’t know yet,” Showtime said. “I’m not done with MMA yet. I still got some MMA left in me. I definitely want to move up to 170 pounds. I think doing that tournament [at] 155, I just couldn’t be myself. I was cutting way too much. I didn’t feel good in the training camp.
“So, I think once I figure out the weight class in mixed martial arts, and the opportunities — I’m a free agent right now. I get to sit back and take the fights as they come. So, I’m in a good spot.”
All in all, Pettis has a professional mixed martial arts record of 25-14 with 11 wins via KO/TKO and eight by submission. He was World Extreme Cagefighting’s final lightweight champion before the promotion merged with the UFC in 2010. He earned the UFC’s 155-pound strap in 2013 and went on to defend it once before dropping it in 2015.