Former Champion Anthony Pettis Looks for Respect Following UFC 226 Win Over Michael Chiesa

On Saturday night, former Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight champion Anthony Pettis took on submission specialist Michael Chiesa in a 155-pound bout on the main card of UFC 226 inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pettis, who entered the fight with only two wins in his last seven outings, earned himself an impressive submission victory over Chiesa, silencing some of his doubters.

It was a timely win for “Showtime” as his opponents had even started questioning his fall from grace as Chiesa, who missed weight for the contest, told the former champion “See you in Bellator” during their weigh-in face-off, insinuating he would be cut from the premier mixed martial arts promotion.

Pettis talked with the media following his submission win at UFC 226 and commented on his confidence in the fight (via MMAJunkie.com):

“I just felt really confident in there again. It feels good to go in there with confidence. … If he took me down, it wasn’t a big issue. We had jiu-jitsu waiting for him, and that’s what showed in the fight. I just got tired of losing. I knew I was better than all these guys I’m losing against, and I just took myself out of my element. I couldn’t focus on the takedowns -- it took away from my striking, it took away from my jiu-jitsu. We got away from it, and it shows in my results. I was already annoyed I was the underdog -- blue corner again. I’m a former world champ, two times. I’m getting my respect back.”