This past Saturday night, PFL’s Anthony Pettis (25-14) competed in a boxing match on the Nate Diaz – Jorge Masvidal 2 card. Pettis teased that with a win, there could be another lucrative boxing match for him, but he lost against Chris Avila on Saturday night. The boxing match was Pettis’ third combat sports contest since his last MMA bout.
Pettis boxed Roy Jones Jr and then he competed in Karate Combat against Benson Henderson. He won both of those matchups before losing to Avila on Saturday night. It’s worth noting that the former UFC champion is still under contract with the PFL. However, the PFL unlike the UFC, allows Pettis to compete in these professional combat sports ventures outside of competing in the Smart Cage.
What’s next for PFL’s Anthony Pettis?
The last time we saw Pettis inside the Smart Cage was back in 2022 when he lost to Stevie Ray in the Playoffs. It has not been smooth sailing for Pettis inside the Smart Cage. Back in 2020, Pettis closes his UFC run strongly with wins over Donald Cerrone and Alex Morono. From there, the UFC did try to re-sign him.
However, the former lightweight champion opted to sign with the PFL. There was a ton of hype behind his debut but he went 0-2 in his first Regular Season back in 2021. He won by first round submission to start his 2022 season, but then lost to Stevie Ray in back-to-back fights dropping his PFL record to just 1-4 and we haven’t seen him since.
Back in May, Cedric Doumbe (6-1) got back on track when he stopped Jaleel Willis in the first round of their matchup under the Bellator Champions Series banner. Of course, The Professional Fighters League controls both Bellator as well as their own promotion. After the win, Doumbe and Pettis had a face-off.
That’s the matchup that needs to happen next. I get the fact that Pettis has really cooled off over the past few years, but PFL needs to get Doumbe in there with an opponent with some name recognition. It’s a great matchup for both, and that’s the opportunity that Pettis needs to focus on next.