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Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist, and professional boxer.[1] Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Professional Fighters League (PFL). He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion. Pettis was also the final WEC Lightweight Champion prior to the promotion being merged into the UFC.
Early life
Pettis was born on January 27, 1987, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Annette (née Garcia) and Eugene Pettis Jr. He grew up in the south side of Milwaukee, along with his older brother, Reynaldo Pettis and younger brother, Sergio Pettis, who fights in the flyweight division.[2]
Pettis is of Mexican ancestry. His grandfather, Eugenio Pérez, anglicized the family name from Pérez to Pettis to avoid discrimination. Pettis attended Dominican High School.[3][4]
He started training in taekwondo and boxing at the age of 5. When he went to train mixed martial arts at Roufusport, he already had a 3rd degree black belt in taekwondo. He later trained in capoeira.[5][6]
On November 12, 2003, Pettis' father was stabbed to death by a robber at a friend's house. Pettis felt detached as a result and didn't practice martial arts for several years. After his older brother became the first male in the family to graduate high school, Pettis was encouraged by a school nun to enroll at the Kenosha Fire Academy and subsequently became a firefighter.
References
- ↑ https://boxrec.com/en/box-pro/1136062 Template:Bare URL inline
- ↑ Template:Cite episode
- ↑ Gary D'Amato (June 5, 2009). "Fighting chance: Pettis finds MMA stage despite obstacles". Jsonline.com. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ↑ "5 Minutes With Anthony Pettis". Fightmagazine.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ↑ "Capoeira, jiu-jitsu and more: Inside Anthony Pettis' camp for UFC 164". Mmafighting.com. September 9, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
- ↑ "UFC star Anthony Pettis shows off some capoeira skills". Bloodyelbow.com. May 6, 2013. Retrieved September 15, 2017.