Anthony Pettis (24-12, 18 finishes), the former UFC lightweight champion, will make his season debut for PFL against unheralded Irish 155-pounder Myles Price (11-7, five finishes) on Friday night (ESPN2, 9 p.m. main card) at Esports Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Pettis recently spoke with The Post’s Scott Fontana via Zoom for Q&A in the Post Fight Interview.
Q: What has your overall experience been like since signing with PFL?
A: I fought the two toughest guys in the division [last year in Raush Manfio and Clay Collard], so I’m excited to go back in and get my revenge. I know where I’m at mentally and [where] my skill set is at. I think last year I went into that season trying to be “Showtime,” and it showed up in fights. In the first fight, I looked sloppy. It was a sloppy performance. And the PFL [has been] nothing but supportive. I couldn’t ask for a better company. Even though I lost my two fights, they were so supportive this year and [were] making sure I had everything I needed to get to the spot where I’m at right now.
Q: What do you mean by “trying to be ‘Showtime?”
A: I forgot to win [with] the basics. I was going for the big moves. I was throwing cartwheel kicks, jumping all over the place.
Q: What are your thoughts on being matched up against Price, who last fought three years ago, instead of some of the other guys you’re chasing?
A: It’s hard to find footage on him. His last fight [against Peter] Queally in Bellator, watching that fight, I can’t really take anything from that because I fight totally different from Queally. I’m sure he’s gonna fight me totally different. But one thing I will say is, when guys get to fight myself, they bring it. I’m getting the best version of everybody when they fight me. They know the chance that they’re getting. So this year, I’m not taking [anyone] lightly.
Q: Why was this fight rescheduled from two weeks ago?
A: I had an injury, I got hurt early in training camp, and I didn’t want to pull out [of] the the tournament. So I was like, I have two options: [They] can give me the extra time, or I was going to have to pull out if they would have forced me. That’s why I said the PFL has been amazing. They’re very supportive, they make things happen, and everybody behind the scenes in the PFL is great people.
Q: Do you put pressure on yourself to secure finishes that get you more standings points?
A: Not this year. Last year, I tried. Last year, I was too focused on trying to get a finish. And it didn’t play my way. And then also, we’ve gotta fight in two months after this. So you really got to think about your body in a sense that I’ve never done before. You go into these fights and not play it safe, but you can’t get hurt. You break a hand, you get a cut, anything can happen, obviously, in a fight and they can pull you out the whole season.
Q: You’ve gone between 155 and 170 the past few years. If PFL had a 165-pound weight class, would you prefer to compete there?
A: A million percent. It’s gonna happen. Khabib [Nurmagomedov]’s doing it with his show [Eagle FC]. But if you look at any other combat sports, there’s not 15 pounds in between weight classes. Ten pounds is even a reach. … Breaking up that ‘55 to ‘70 jump and ‘70 to [185] jump, putting those weight classes in there is only gonna help fighters.
Q: Nine years ago you were preparing to face Jose Aldo at 145, which didn’t end up happening. Does a part of you wish that you’d had the chance to test yourself against him?
A: Aldo’s a beast, bro. I got nothing but respect for that guy. A guy like Jose Aldo fighting the way he’s fought for so long and making the new weight class [work]. At ‘45, he’s a monster, and then you see him drop 10 pounds. I’m like, “Man, this guy, he’s special, man.” We’re blessed to be able to see a guy like that compete at this level, and I think he’s about to get another title shot. But yeah, I definitely wanted that fight.
Q: You two were the final WEC champions in your divisions before it was folded into the UFC, and people still look back fondly at the promotion. What does WEC mean to you?
A: The WEC made me who I was. And my WEC career is a lot shorter than everybody else’s. I was only in the WEC for a year and a half before it actually ended, and I made that run. That was a time in my life when I was just [doing] nothing but training and hungry to get that belt. I got that belt, got that UFC chance. The WEC, man, that’s what made Anthony Pettis. That’s what made me.
Q: Can you describe the fights you and your family used to have at picnics growing up?
A: We had a trampoline in my backyard, and we would take out the actual trampoline. We’d just use the frame of the trampoline, and that was our ring. That’s how we all started. My older brother was a beast. He never got to fight [professionally] because he’s a little older. But he was the champion in our backyard. He had good hands and taekwondo kicks.
Q: You can fight any person who has ever lived. Who do you pick?
A: Anderson Silva, and I almost had that fight. I was about to move up to 185 pounds and fight Anderson Silva. He agreed to it. The UFC agreed to it, and then it just didn’t come to fruition. I think he got another fight. … But that’s only because he’s one of my idols.
Q: When would the Silva fight have happened?
A: It was right after the [Stephen] “Wonderboy” [Thompson] fight.
Q: Typical walkaround weight between fights?
A: It depends on where I fought last. At ‘45, I was probably walking around like ‘70. [At] ‘55, I probably walk around high ‘70s [to] low ‘80s. And then when I’m [in my] offseason, and I think the biggest I’ve ever seen was like ‘92
Q: Typical weight on fight night as a lightweight?
A: I’ll probably fight [at 175 pounds].
Q: Who in MMA do you most admire?
A: GSP [Georges St-Pierre.] Not only because of his career but even the way he talks right now about the career. He said it right: Guys stick around this sport too long and let their sport retire them.
Q: What’s the coolest technique in combat sports?
A: The Showtime kick.
Q: Is there a great MMA movie?
A: “Undisputed [II: Last Man Standing”]. The fight scenes were sick. It was realistic MMA fight scenes.
Q: Favorite movie?
A: “Price of Glory.”
Q: Favorite song?
A: That varies from time to time. I’m listening to a lot of Kodak Black right now, “Super Gremlin.” That one goes hard.
Q: Favorite video game?
A: I don’t play video games. If I had to pick one: “Call of Duty.” That’s probably the only one I actually got into.
Q: What’s a perfect day for you that doesn’t involve fighting?
A: Hanging out with my newborn daughter [here in Las Vegas] and my older daughter. My older daughter lives in Milwaukee, so when I get them two together, it’s just pure bliss for me, man, just to see them both interacting and sharing that love. And knowing that I created that and I’m responsible for them, that’s my life right now.