BY Gary D’Amato,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Anthony (Showtime) Pettis was sidelined for most of 2012 after undergoing shoulder surgery and hasn’t fought in 11 months.
That makes his return to the cage Saturday night against Donald (Cowboy) Cerrone in a UFC on FOX show a must-win proposition.
The winner at the United Center in Chicago could be next in line for a shot at the UFC lightweight championship.
The loser stands a good chance of becoming yesterday’s news.
Watch UFC on Sportsnet: Johnson vs. Dodson Saturday on Sportsnet ONE at 5 p.m. ET. One bonus early prelim will air on Sportsnet.ca at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Pettis, 25, of West Allis, knows his layoff, though no fault of his own, didn’t help keep his name in the forefront of UFC. He also knows that a loss at this stage of his career could be difficult to overcome.
“In the UFC you’ve got so many talented guys and there’s more coming in,” he said. “Strikeforce just got absorbed into the UFC. There are so many good names and good talent; our fans are quick to switch on you.
“You win a fight, you’re the man. You lose a fight, you suck. This is a game where you don’t want to lose fights.”
Pettis (13-2) is jumping back into the cage against a tough opponent. Cerrone (19-4) is known for his rugged style.
“In the UFC if you want to be paid and you want your name to be relevant to get sponsors and the TV time you’ve got to fight tough fights,” Pettis said. “I think it’s good for the fans and it’s good for us.”
Pettis vs. Cerrone is one of four fights on the main card of UFC on FOX 6 from Chicago.
Erik Koch, Pettis’ training partner at Roufusport Martial Arts Academy in Milwaukee, will put his 13-1 record on the line against Ricardo Lamas (12-2) in a 145-pound fight.
Also on the main card, Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson will battle for Johnson’s 125-pound title, and Rampage Jackson and Glover Teixeira will meet in a highly anticipated light heavyweight fight.
Koch, 24, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, moved to Milwaukee two years ago to advance his MMA career. He has won four consecutive fights, including his first two in the UFC.
Pettis spars regularly with Koch and thinks he is a star in the making.
“He’s going to break into the next level after this fight,” Pettis said. “He’s one of the most well-rounded fighters on our team. It’s our goal to have both (title) belts in one house.”
A third Roufusport fighter, Pascal Kraus, is on the preliminary card. He faces Mike Stumpf (11-3) in a 170-pound bout.
The 25-year-old Kraus (10-1) has a boxing background. He moved to Milwaukee in November from Freiburg, Germany, where mixed martial arts are not looked upon favorably.
“It’s getting bigger but it’s still not popular and actually it’s forbidden on TV at the moment,” he said. “People think it’s too violent, people beating each other on the ground.
“The boxing lobby is against it, too, because they see what happened over here, that MMA is bigger than boxing. They fear that in Germany.”
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