Anthony Pettis Reveals Desired Next Opponent After Nate Diaz Loss

Anthony Pettis is ready to move past his recent welterweight loss to Nate Diaz, and continue to put on exciting fights for mixed martial arts (MMA) fans.

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Pettis revealed he’s down to fight at either 155 or 170 pounds next. As for who he’d like to square off against, Pettis agrees with longtime coach Duke Roufus, that Diego Sanchez would be a fun and exciting matchup.

“I’m a good spot right now where I could make 155,” Pettis said. “Like the Nate Diaz fight, I only fought him at 176 pounds. I only gained six pounds with my weight cut. I want Diego Sanchez. That’s what I told Duke.

“One more fight before the end of the year. I tell myself three big fights this year. He’s available. At 155, there’s no one available for me. I want to stay busy.”

Pettis was bested by Diaz at UFC 241 last month. His career has been a mixed bag the past several years, not putting together a winning streak since 2014. However, that doesn’t seem to concern the 32-year-old, who wants to test himself against a “killer” in Sanchez, who just had a two-fight win streak snapped by Michael Chiesa.

“I feel like especially the fans want to see it,” Pettis said. “That’s what it’s all about. If the fans want to see the fights I choose, then it works out. Look who I just fought. From (Tony) Ferguson, (Stephen) ‘Wonderboy’ (Thompson), Nate Diaz … even before that, I was fighting killers.”

Pettis hasn’t spoken to the UFC about the matchup yet, but did reach out to Dana White, who is getting ready for a matchmaker meeting soon. “Showtime” is holding out hope the UFC puts the bout together.

“I haven’t talked to the UFC yet,” Pettis said. “I reached out to Dana about it. They’re supposed to have a matchmaker meeting, so if it works out, it works out. If not, we’ll find out. There’s a lot of good guys, but I feel like Diego deserves that kind of fight. He’s been around a long time.”

What do you think about Pettis’ desire to fight Sanchez next?