I am Anthony Pettis, UFC Lightweight Champ and the next athlete on the Wheaties box.

Have you ever been left hanging so bad that it made you visibly shudder?

https://i.imgur.com/bswpfYe.gif

That's hilarious.

Would you rather fight 1 Lesnar sized Demetrious Johnson or 100 Demetrious Johnson sized Lesnars?

This is making my head spin right now.

What are the chances that you'll end up a victim of the recent nude photo leaks?

Pretty high...

When are you getting on the Joe Rogan podcast?

When he invites me.

What weight do you walk around at?

175

Do you ever worry about how repeated blows to the head could cause you problems down the road (concussions mainly)? If so, how do you plan to combat this?

I definitely worry about my health. Concussions are an ongoing problem in most sports. But at the same time, for me, my best offense is my defense and I try to avoid any damage in practice or during the fights.

What is your plan to beat Nurmegomedov?

How do you pronounce that?

What was your reaction to Dos Anjos knocking out Henderson? I don't think anyone expected that even if they thought Dos Anjos was going to win.

I was definitely surprised. I fought Ben Henderson twice. One of the toughest Lightweights and I hit him with the Showtime Kick and that didn't do it. So I was surprised when he was knocked out.

How many times do you plan on fighting in 2015? [serious question]

Three times.

Hi Showtime! Glad you could spare the time to drop buy. It’s nice to see an elite striker become a champion who can “do that spinning shit” as Nate Diaz so eloquently put it. I have a few questions for you if you could be generous enough to answer:

1. Do you think your brother was pushed too fast so far? His first fight in the UFC wasn't "dominant" and his second fight was against a UFC vet in Alex Caceres. It seems like he could have used a few more fights in the regional scene or a slower progression in difficulty.

2. Who is your favorite Disney princess and why?

1. I don't think he was pushed too fast into the UFC. I think he needs some time to develop in the UFC. I spar with this kid every day. I know how good he is and he hasn't even shown 10% of his potential.

2. Anna and Elsa. My daughter makes me watch Frozen every night. And sings Let It Go.

How many bowls of Wheaties did you have to eat at your photo shoot?

There's no such thing as too many bowls of Wheaties.

Who's the most entertaining fighter to watch?

Anthony Pettis

Do you think excessive weight cutting is a problem in MMA? If so, what could/should be done about it?

(you're one of the best btw, congrats on the Wheaties box, can't wait to see you back in action)

No, I don't think it is. I just think some athletes are undereducated about weight cutting.

How do you like your new nickname... "Shelf time" Pettis?

Injuries are part of the sport. I'm only 27 and I'm going to recover the right way to have a long career. But the name does have a ring to it.

Ever since the showtime kick do you always feel the pressure to preform a crazy move like that in all your fights?

My fight style is very flashy. I grew up doing TKD and I never tried to one-up myself in any of my fights. Flashy moves just happen when I see the opportunity.

Have you ever needed to use your skills in the real world for any reason (self defense, etc.)?

Not recently, but growing up, yes.

How many times did you practice this one in the gym.

I play around with it all the time in sparring, but it was never a move I practiced to perfect.

Who are your closest friends on the UFC roster?

Who are you looking forward to fight during your career?

Favourite fighters to watch?

Sergio Pettis, Urijah Faber, Erick Koch, Dustin Ortiz

Right now Gilbert Melendez, the only person I'm focused on

Anderson Silva

Do you gave a go-to meal that you eat every time before fighting?

Salmon, sweet potato, and spinach

what weird contract stipulations are part of the wheaties agreement (are you allowed to be photographed in public eating a competitor's cereal etc...)?

Probably not LOL

Almost all the champions (Jones, Velasquez, you, ect) are getting injured in training. Not all injuries can be prevented but what would you suggest to do to decrease the amount of injuries of current champions and delaying great cards?

This is a physical sport and the only way to properly train for a fight is to fight. So injuries will happen.

[deleted]

Advice: If you want to start doing MMA, get good insurance.

The way I stay motivated is my will to leave my legacy in the sport.

Who do you view as your biggest threat in the Lightweight division?

I feel very confident I have the skill set to beat anyone in might weight class. But the fight I'm looking forward to is Jose Aldo.

Did you and Gilbert get along while filming the TUF season?

It's not that we didn't get along. Nothing much was said. We both knew we'd be fighting each other and there was a mutual respect, we're both skilled and in this position for a reason.

Can you say anything about what Nate Diaz said during the airing of TUF 20? I've heard that you guys had something go on.

Nate Diaz didn't say anything during the entire time filming. 7 weeks filming and nothing was said. I'm focused on my next opponent and that's Gilbert Melendez.

What's been the hardest thing you've encountered on the journey to where you are now?

Injuries

Q: when you face Aldo what effect will his leg kick oriented style have on your body kicks and vice versa? Both of them are pretty unique and devastating techniques, and I was wondering how you think they'll interact.

Just wanna say I'm a fan. I used to Taekwondo when I was a kid and I've been watching MMA for a long time. Kinda dabbled in it, but school takes a lot of my time. Every time I watch you fight I feel like a fat lump lol.

I don't think my body kicks are my strength, nor do I think his low kicks are his strength. I think we're both strikers and it's going to be very entertaining for the fans.

When you are in a fight, how much pain do you actually feel? I've been curious as to how much it hurts.

Not much. You don't feel it til the day after. And it hurts even more if you lose.

How much do you eat everyday?

A lot.

What goes through your head before a fight? Do you get nervous? Do you have a pre-fight routine?

I'm always nervous and there's so many things that go through my head before a fight: preparation, letting people down, being embarrassed on PPV, and making my team proud.

What's your favourite finish you've seen in mma?

Anderson Silva, front kick to the face

Who is one the one person (dead or alive) you want to get in the octagon with?

Muhammad Ali, the GOAT

How did the Wheaties box deal come to pass? Did they approach you or was it handled by White and co.?

The Wheaties deal was brought to the UFC and the UFC had to choose an athlete to represent them. And given the timeframe of my title defense, Dana picked me to be on the box.

Do you know of any way to tell if a TKD school is legit or just black belt mill?

Not really, each instructor runs their gyms differently.

How is your overall health? How many times would you like to fight in 2015? Your fans miss seeing you in action!

I'm 100% and I would like to fight three times.

Hey Anthony big fan, as a Packers fan how do you think they will do this year?

I'm hoping they'll be good. Big fan of the Packers. Being from Wisconsin, you must be a Packer fan.

How did you become such a baller?

Hard work.

How do you feel about some of the more restrictive rules - no soccer kicks, downward elbows, knnes to the head of a grounded opponent?

Do you think that it would favour you if these were changed?

I've never fought with any other rules, so I'm not too sure how that changes the game.

How often do you train in the gi?

How much does it help your MMA? If at all.

During the injury, I trained every day with a gi. Definitely helps out your game in MMA, it slows everything down and you have to learn to use technique as opposed to your athleticism.

Hey Showtime, being a Milwaukee native and myself from Madison, what was the feeling like when you won the title in your hometown?

And how does it feel playing yourself in EA Sports UFC?

It was an amazing feeling to accomplish one of my goals in my hometown. And taking the belt back to my dad's grave.

It's cool to see myself in the game, but I suck at the video game, so I don't win very much.

Hey Anthony, I've been doing Taekwon Do since I was 9, and now I'm doing MMA at 19, kinda similar to your path. Do you have any key advice for success?

Fall in love with training and the rest will come.

Do you have any other moves like the Showtime Kick you've been practicing?

Duh.

What do you think of the overall level of striking in MMA? It feels like you're a step above everyone else except maybe Aldo, but there are so many fighters that don't improve significantly in that area. Do you think these fighters need better striking coaches or need to watch more tape?

MMA has a lot of material to learn and it's each athletes' decision as to how they wanna fight. And my style and Jose Aldo's style happen to be striking, but ultimately it's up to the athlete and their camps to decide what style of striking they're going to use.

Which fighter in TUF 20 stood out the most?

I can't say much about TUF yet. It airs September 10th. I will say there's some amazing talent on the show.

[deleted]

I think it was an early stoppage.

How big of a threat do you see Eddie Alvarez being in the UFC? Do you see you two fighting in the near future? Best of luck in your next fight!

Eddie Alvarez has been a champion before. Anybody that knows what it takes to be a champion is definitely a threat.

Anthony would you ever consider fighting at 170 in the UFC and challenging for the welterweight title?

I wouldn't say never, but right now 155 is my home.

With Barao recently passing out due to it, what are your views on weight cutting?

Athletes need to be more educated about it.

Hi Anthony, I've been a huge fan you yours for many years now and have been following you career since your first fight in the WEC against Mike Campbell. I encourage you to check out /r/MMA if you get the chance.

That being said, I have two questions for you;

• With Renan Barao not making weight this past weekend, Dana White has mentioned that if Renan can't cut to 135 in a healthy manner, he should look to go to 145; which would most likely mean Jose Aldo would go up to 155. If this were to all happen, how do you think Jose would fare at lightweight, and would you rather fight him at 145 or 155.

• Also, the two fights you have lost, Steve Mazzagatti has been the ref, do you think there may be some correlation between the two, or just a coincidence?

1) I'd rather fight him at 155. I don't think 10 pounds would make much of a difference. And he should be a contender right away.

2) I have no idea. I didn't even know that.

How would you feel if Sergio went on to become a more accomplished MMArtist than you? Are you guys even jokingly competitive about that kind of stuff?

Also, how do you break down your efforts in terms of training vs. PR and marketing in order to maximize your value?

Thanks, congratulations on your recent successes, and looking forward to seeing you in the cage again!

I'd love it, that's the goal.

I focus on training. I have a great team that focuses on PR. The main goal is to have more people know who I am and watch me fight.

How long do you think you have in the sport and what are your plans for after the UFC?

I'd like to think I have 10 years left, but I already am starting to build my future. Two TKD gyms, sports bar, barbershop, Wheaties box.

What's your favorite cereal besides wheaties?

Cinnamon Toast Crunch

Hey Anthony,

Are you glad you didn't make the EA Sports UFC cover, so you can avoid the cover vote curse? Not only did Gus get injured but Jones got injured as well and they both made the cover!

Have you seen TommyToeHold show on Youtube?

Also,

Why is everyone ducking Vitor Belfort?

1. No I'm not happy that I didn't make the cover. I'm pretty comfortable with injuries as I've had my share of them already.

2. I've seen it before.

3. Vitor Belfort will be challenging Chris Weidman for the Middleweight title the same night I defend my title, Dec. 6

You're pretty well known for doing some ridiculous and inventive attacks in the cage. Do these just come to you in the moment or do you actively work on and practice unorthodox moves in training to confuse your opponent?

Little bit of both. I don't focus on being unorthodox, it's just my fighting style.

Hello, Mr. Pettis! Thanks for doing this AMA. Your last fight with Ben Henderson was fantastic, but all too short! Who do you think has the best chance to take your belt from you? What are you focusing your training on right now?

I don't think anybody has a good chance of taking my belt. I believe I'm the best in the world. But I'm focusing on becoming a better athlete and an all-around martial artist.

What inspired you to become a UFC fighter?

I wasn't planning on being a UFC fighter. I started training MMA to teach my students kickboxing and Jiu jitsu. I own two TKD schools in WI, shoutout Victory Martial Arts.

What do you think about the guys who use TRT (testosterone replacement treatment)? Is it cheating?

It's definitely cheating. And if you need to cheat to compete, then you need to find a different career.

1) If the UFC added a WWE-style "tag-team" championship, who would you want as your partner?

2) What's the best perk of being a UFC champ that we don't know about?

1) Little bro 2) Being a role model for kids that look up to me.

First off I think I play as you the most in EA UFC so there's that.

What song gets you the most hype before a workout or a fight?

It's Showtime by Tum Tum, my walkout song

The Champ is here! Anthony - the list of contenders is long and distinguished, which of them do you think is going to make the most exciting fight for your fans and take your career to the next level?

And do you identify as a latino fighter or do you consider your roots to be fully american?

Latino, Mexican and Puerto Rican blood are running through me.

Woooo sup champ. So you just filmed tuf. How was coaching with a camera on you? Im guessing showtime was comfortable as now your on a wheatis box! What's next a muay thai movie with keanu reeves? Would you want to get into movies

It was a long process. Had a great time. Watching the strawweight class play out. But excited to be back in my own camp.

I'm open to all opportunities, not sure where this journey will take me.

Have you been frustrated that you haven't been able to fight as often as you'd have liked because of injuries and TUF? And is there any prospects at 155 you're keeping an eye on?

Yes, definitely frustrating. At the same time I knew what I was getting myself into. Injuries will happen. It's my job to prevent them.

I've met you a few times at local events (RFA, NAFC, etc), you always show up to support your teammates and your brother.

Now that you, your brother, and most of your teammates are at the big stage in the UFC, what event do you prefer? A local show with lots of teammates or a UFC event with some big fights?

Local event with lots of teammates. I like to see my teammates succeed and pursue their dreams.

What moment in your career do you think has contributed to your success? If you see that your opponent doesn't have their guard all the way up in a fight, what's your go-to combo to take them out? Who would you rather fight, Mike Tyson or Royce Gracie? (Both in their primes)

Royce Gracie, because I won't get knocked out, I'd just get tapped.

Besides training, what do you do for fun?

Play basketball. Spend time with the family.

Do you and Sergio try to outflash eachother during sparring sessions?

Yeah, actually we do. Duke makes it very personal for me and Sergio while we're fighting, and I think we push each other to be more creative and better martial artists.

We're seeing that there is a crossover in interest between MMA fighters and professional wrestling. Brock Lesnar is even the WWE Champion at this time. What is the general consensus that MMA athletes have towards pro wrestling, considering that it technically isn't real fighting?

I've been a fan of pro wrestling my whole life and I think it's very entertaining.

What's one thing you do to prep for an upcoming match that most people wouldn't suspect?

Watch old martial arts movies.

Bloodsport would be on the top of that list.