Alex Morono expects to finish Anthony Pettis, eyes future fights with Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone

Alex Morono didn’t expect to be fighting Anthony Pettis.

Morono started the year with a disappointing KO loss to Khaos Williams at UFC 247. The Fortis MMA product then returned at UFC Vegas 14 with a decision win over Rhys McKee. After the win, Morono was hoping he could make a quick turnaround but never expected it to be against Pettis.

“I took like a full two weeks off. I was teaching a few classes but I wasn’t doing any hard sparring. I needed to let my knuckles heal up as they were bruised,” Morono said to BJPENN.com. “The way everything worked out timing-wise was perfect too. Not only is this the biggest fight of my career but to have it on this card that everyone is going crazy over is so cool.”

Morono knows how dangerous “Showtime” is on the feet and has an underrated ground game. So, the 30-year-old is ready for anything.

Although he didn’t have much time to prepare, he was working with Geoff Neal for his fight against Stephen Thompson. He also got on a call with Diego Ferreira to discuss Pettis, who Ferreira beat in January of this year.

“I’m preparing for everything. I wouldn’t be surprised if he wants to have a kickboxing fight or shoots for takedowns early,” he explained. “This is one of those fights that it could go anywhere.”

After dissecting Pettis, Alex Morono is confident his style is a bad matchup for Pettis and expects to finish the former champ. If he does all that, he plans on calling out Nate Diaz and Donald Cerrone.

“For a strategy for this fight, I keep my answer the same, I’m going for the finish,” Morono said. “Whether it be the first round or late in the fight, I’m going for the finish. I plan on setting a high pace and putting pressure on him and inflicting damage.

“My goal is to go out there and win this fight by stoppage. If I achieve that, it sets me up for a fight against guys like Nate Diaz or Cowboy Cerrone,” Alex Morono concluded. “The fact I’m fighting Pettis will allow me to fight these other dudes. This just cements future big fights so I need to win this one.”

Who do you think will win, Anthony Pettis or Alex Morono?