Anthony Pettis believes he will have a “mental advantage” over Donald Cerrone in rematch at UFC 249

Former UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis believes he will hold a mental advantage over Donald Cerrone in their rematch at UFC 249 this weekend.

While it may not be one of the featured bouts on the main card on Saturday night, Pettis vs Cerrone 2 is certainly gathering a lot of buzz as we get closer and closer to fight night.

Back in January 2013, Pettis was able to finish Cerrone via TKO – and now, seven years later, “Cowboy” is out for revenge.

During the UFC 249 virtual media day, though, Pettis pointed out that he’s still the man who has the edge.

“When you beat somebody, it’s always there in the back of their head,” Pettis said (via MMA Junkie) . “No matter what, I don’t care how many fights you have past that, a loss is a loss. I feel I got the mental advantage already. I know his weaknesses; he knows my weaknesses. It’s going to be who can exploit it, who is in better shape and who wants it more.”

In addition to Pettis having already had his hand raised against “Cowboy”, there’s another element to the mental side of the game, too. We’ve heard a lot from Cerrone in recent days regarding his occasional inability to show up when it matters in the Octagon, with Cerrone himself not being able to fix the problem.

From fight to fight you just never really know what you’re going to get from him, and in a rematch of this magnitude, it’s important to realize what a win for either man could do for their prospects in the division.

Despite both Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone experiencing a string of disappointing defeats over the years, their name value stands tall as one of their most valuable assets. If one of them can secure another finish on Saturday night, who knows what they could go on to accomplish if they can start to gather some momentum again.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 5/8/2020.