UFC lightweight contender Anthony Pettis to receive official proclamation from hometown

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by MMAjunkie.com Staff

The WEC's final champion recently received the unsettling news that his UFC title shot is currently on hold, but that doesn't mean Anthony Pettis doesn't have a little reason to celebrate.

UFC brass today announced that Pettis will receive an official proclamation from his hometown of Milwaukee at a Thursday ceremony hosted by the city's mayor, Tom Barrett.

"This is an amazing feeling," Pettis stated in an official release detailing the honor. "It’s been a crazy year. I've won a world title, been featured on MTV and 'SportsCenter' and threw out the first pitch at the Milwaukee Brewers game. I never imagined myself being in this position.

"I'm really thankful that Mayor Tom Barrett and the city of Milwaukee have chosen to honor me. Milwaukee means so much to me and I’m proud to represent it every time I compete."

Pettis was one of 2010's brightest breakout stars in mixed martial arts. In the cage, "Showtime" put together a perfect 4-0 mark that included a "Knockout of the Night" bonus at WEC 47 and a "Submission of the Night" award at WEC 50. The 23-year-old also picked up a win on the Spike TV-broadcast portion of the company's first pay-per-view event, WEC 48.

Of course, none of that compared to the thrilling finish to the main event of the WEC's final event, "WEC 53: Henderson vs. Pettis." In the fifth and final round of the final bout before the promotion's merger with the UFC, Pettis launched himself off the cage and floored former champion Ben Henderson with a "Showtime" kick that was recently dubbed by ESPN as the eight-best sporting highlight of all of 2010.

Outside of the cage, Pettis was also featured in MTV's critically acclaimed "World of Jenks" documentary series.

Pettis joins recent WEC imports Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavidez and Miguel Torres – as well as former WEC general manager Reed Harris – on a list of MMA personalities honored by their hometowns in official ceremonies.

Pettis next fight has yet to be officially announced, but UFC president Dana White on Tuesday confirmed that a potential matchup with fan-favorite Clay Guida is currently being discussed.

By virtue of his status as the WEC's final champion, Pettis was in line to face the winner of a Jan. 1 bout between current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard. When the UFC 125 main-event ended in a draw, Pettis' shot was delayed. However, rather than wait on the sidelines for Edgar and Maynard to settle the score in a rematch, Pettis elected to take another contest in the interim and risk his status as No. 1 contender.