Anthony Pettis 'I'm tired of waiting'

"I'm tired of waiting, man," Pettis admitted on Monday's edition of The MMA Hour. "I'm just tired of getting passed up. Who knows what happens in the lightweight fight. Who knows what injuries are going to occur and how long that's going to take.

"I was in the same position twice. I was there, I was the next guy in line, and it all depends on who the UFC wants to see fight. That's what it's all about. I think it's who sell the tickets, who can sell the pay-per-views, and who do the fans want to see fight."

"I think he's really spooked, for sure, about having to repeat of a few years ago," echoed Pettis' head coach, Duke Roufus. "I mean, I remember watching the [Edgar vs. Maynard II] fight on New Year's Eve, going, ‘Wow, we've got us a great title fight coming up with Frankie Edgar, and then the tables were turned. In this business nothing is sure.

"There's the injuries, a close decision, does someone want a rematch right away. It's just hard these days. Anything and everything can happen."

"I want to fight for a belt, man. That's the intriguing part for me," Pettis explained. "It's another belt, and I don't think the weight cut would impossible. I think it's something I could pretty easily do.

"I only cut like two pounds to make 155. I have a clean diet and I barely cut any weight when it's time to get down to '55. I mean, if my teammate Erik Koch can do it, I'm pretty sure I could."

"Anthony's got a weird body," said Roufus. "He's not a huge 155'er. He's kind of a tweener. His last three fights he hasn't really even gone to the sauna to cut. His nutrition is on point. His strength and conditioning [is on point]. We just do a light workout in the morning to make weight the last three fights that we've fought. He's very disciplined in that side of his career."

"Right now it's so fresh and brand new, that I'm just trying to clear two paths to get to both of these belts," explained Pettis. "I mean, they say, ‘You can fight Jose Aldo in three months, and then you get the winner of Henderson-Gilbert,' then I'm signing the contract today.

"That's up to the UFC. I'm not going to make any decisions or close any doors until they decide what they want to see. I put my opinion out there, I'm up for either one, and I guess it's just what would make sense for you guys now."

"It's something I've been thinking about for a while," Pettis said in closing. "[Aldo] is on the top pound-for-pound list, and that's where I want to be at. I want to be the best fighter in the world.

"I'm looking for the big fights. I think both of these fights are big, and it's kind of just up to the UFC to pick which one they want me to be part of.

"Once they come forward and tell me something, because honestly I don't know anything, I can look at my options and see what happens. At 155, I'm comfortable, man. I feel I'm the No. 1 contender. I'm right there, so it's not a fact of I'm trying to drop weight, to cut down, because it's an easy way to a belt. It's just, I want to fight. I just want to fight. This is all I do. A year off just motivates me, and I want to make this my year."

http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/2/4/3951734/anthony-pettis-ready-to-become-two-division-ufc-champion-im-tired-of-waiting