Due to injury, Pettis is expected to be out for eight months, says coach

A. Pettis. Photo: Josh Hedges/UFC

Duke Roufus, head coach Anthony Pettis, revealed that his athlete is expected to be out of fights for approximately eight months due to a knee injury.

The lightweight champion was scheduled to make his first defense against Josh thomson, on December 14, but withdrew from the fight after tearing the posterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Thus, the fight was canceled and Thomson will face the former champion Ben henderson, on January 25.

Pettis, who had injured the area in the fight against Henderson, saw the situation worsen during training. “Anthony saved a low kick [during the fight against Henderson] and it dislocated his knee. He underwent physiotherapy and that seemed like it would be enough for recovery, but, unfortunately, he suffered another kick in training and the knee started to bother him”, revealed Roufus, in an interview with the North American website MMA Mania.

“He was examined and will have surgery, which will be on December 12th. It will take three months before we can start doing anything. I would say that in a window of eight months he will be able to fight”, concluded the coach.

Thus, the lightweight category is expected to be without challengers at least until July 2014. Despite this, UFC president, Dana White, recently stated that he does not intend to create an interim belt, as he did, for example, in the bantamweight category.