As Steven Ray trapped Anthony Pettis in a modified twister in the second round of their PFL regular-season bout on June 24, “Showtime” had a difficult decision to make.
On one hand, he could fight to escape the submission and risk injury — as well as his spot in the playoffs. One the other hand, he could tap and save himself from further damage.
Ultimately, he chose the latter option.
“In that fight, I had to make a decision to let the rib pop or tap out before I got to that point,” Pettis said during a PFL media day. “I already had a spot guaranteed for the playoffs, so it was a split decision I had to make — would I get injured and possibly get out of the submission or tap out? Injuries happen in this sport.”
As fate would have it, the submission victory secured Ray a rematch with Pettis in the lightweight semifinals. The bout will serve as the main event for PFL 7 on Friday night at Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“The rib feels good,” Pettis said. “Training camp we changed the mindset a little bit. Last fight I was point sparring him, I was just trying to survive and not get hurt. Wrong mindset going into these fights. This one is a must win.”
Pettis has two prominent rematches — against Benson Henderson and Donald Cerrone — in his MMA career, both of which he won. The difference on those occasions is that he was also victorious in the first meeting. Still, the former UFC and WEC champion is confident that he learned from his previous fight with Ray.
“I’ve had rematches and I won all my rematches,” Pettis said. “He caught me in a submission, no lie. He caught me in a position that I initiated, that’s what’s frustrating about the whole thing is I don’t usually shoot takedowns. I was winning the standup. But I was trying to play it safe because I knew I had this fight coming up. I got caught, wrong mindset.
“I’m living and I’m learning still. Even though I’ve been in this sport for a long time, I’m still learning.”
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