Anthony Pettis is set to defend his UFC lightweight title for the second time in a few months when he meets Rafael dos Anjos in the main event of UFC 185 on March 14th. Pettis has battled injuries for large chunks of his young career, but feels like he's healthy now and is working towards becoming one of the greatest lightweights ever. He explained his thought process in that regard to Fox Sports:
"Me getting that belt was the first goal. Now it's time to set this legacy in place and make sure people remember my name for a long time," Pettis said. "When you look at the lightweight division, the biggest name that sticks out is B.J. Penn. He's an icon and he's been around a long time and he was dominant as the champ.
"I think I'm set up to be the next name in the line. You have Frankie Edgar, you have Ben Henderson, but I think I can be the most dominant champ in this lightweight division."
He also has his eyes on becoming one of the biggest draws in the promotion:
"I want to be one of the pay-per-view kings in the UFC," Pettis said. "I think there's a path right now set up for someone to come in and take over, and I can be that guy. I have the fighting style and people like seeing me fight. I don't plan on changing that. I just need to keep doing what I do and everything will happen."
He is right that he has the right style to at least potentially be a big PPV draw. Can he be the next B.J. Penn? Only time will tell, but there is certainly a stacked division looking to knock him off his perch in the meantime.