Dana White on Anthony Pettis’ weigh-in miss: ‘He’s too old and he’s too big’ to make 145
On Friday morning, we learned that former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis had missed weight for his UFC 206 interim featherweight title fight with Max Holloway. Though this weigh-in miss will thankfully not force the cancellation of their bout, it will nix Pettis’ chances of winning interim featherweight gold. Holloway will still be crowned interim champion with a win, but Pettis will not.
Needless to say, this was a disappointing twist for fight fans. Perhaps nobody was more disappointed by the news, however, than UFC President Dana White, who has been bending over backwards trying to keep the UFC 206 lineup from falling apart.
White shared his frustration in a recent interview with TSN SportsCentre.
“I’m not happy, but listen, it happens,” he said. “Believe me when I tell you, Anthony Pettis wanted to make weight. He’s been working for months for this day. He came in, when he landed here in Toronto, he was 10 pounds [over], so he should’ve made the weight. What that tells you is he’s too old and he’s too big to make that weight, in my opinion. So we’ll see where we go from here.”
Though Pettis will not win gold if he wins, he will make things plenty complicated if he does. He’ll have ousted the featherweight division’s top contender in Holloway, and will be hard to deny a featherweight title fight with undisputed champ featherweight champ Jose Aldo if that’s what he decides he wants. In his interview with TSN, White commented on this possibility, explaining that he’s not confident Pettis can make weight for a potential title fight with Aldo.
“If Pettis wins, I’ve got to decide if I want him to fight for the 145-pound [title],” White said. “I don’t know if he can make the weight.”
Do you think Pettis should be given a shot at Aldo if he defeats Holloway, or is this too much of a risk? Sound off, PENN Nation!
Topics:
Anthony Pettis Dana White
