Pettis warns Henderson: 'I'm not the same fighter you faced in Arizona'

A. Pettis (photo) will renew the fight for the last lightweight title of the extinct WEC. Photo: Al Bello-Zuffa (UFC/Disclosure)

Lightweight Anthony Pettis He has seen his life take turns in recent months. Less than two months away from rematching Ben henderson, from whom he took the category belt in the extinct WEC, he left a message for the current UFC champion: 'I have evolved as a fighter'.

Pettis was preparing to face José Aldo at UFC Rio 4, but he was injured, had to leave the fight and was replaced by Jung Chan Sung, the “Korean zombie”. Weeks later he was called up to replace TJ Grant, who had inherited the role of Henderson's challenger when Pettis decided to downgrade.

In an interview with MMA Fighting, Pettis said that Henderson evolved in the time between their first fight (December 2010) and the next (August 2013). But he made a point of highlighting that he himself is also a very different fighter from the duel held at WEC 53.

“(Henderson is) a totally new fighter, very different from his WEC days. But me too. I'm not the same anymore Anthony Pettis that you fought in Arizona. This is a Anthony Pettis totally different. It's funny because in my last two fights, the world only saw me perform for about two minutes, so no one really knows how much I've evolved as a fighter. I’m excited to get out there and show what I’ve been working on.”

At WEC 53, the last edition of the organization that was incorporated by the UFC from 2010 to 2011, Pettis took the belt from Henderson in one of the best fights of all time, which culminated in the legendary Showtime Kick, a high kick applied by Anthony after to walk on the railing. The move, applied just a few seconds before the end of the fifth round, resulted in a knockdown and practically decided the fight in favor of Pettis.