UFC 144 Results: Anthony Pettis Looks Like a Future Lightweight Title Challenger

Although this was just his third fight with the UFC, Anthony Pettis looked like a man with a future shot at a lightweight title following his convincing defeat of Joe Lauzon at UFC 144.

In Japan, Pettis took out Lauzon in just 1:21 into the first round, knocking him with a kick to the head that he followed up with punches. The victory was convincing, and it was a nice sign of development from his previous two bouts.

In his first fight against Clay Guida in The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, Pettis took the match to the limit, but fell to unanimous decision. 

He got his first shot in the organization at UFC 136, where he took out Jeremy Stephens in a split decision. It was a good outing for his first fight, but he really got the ball rolling against Lauzon.

With this win in Japan, Dana White made it clear that Pettis and Ben Henderson will finally have a rematch, where the two will fight for the lightweight title.

Pettis, who is just 25 years old, does have a lot of promise, but he still has much to prove. He has won by knockout before, but he is going to have to continue to develop his strengths to make this a more consistent way of finishing the match.

Or perhaps, this will become more consistent, as he clearly has been working to use strength to force a knockout rather than going three rounds. If he can perfect it, Pettis could potentially become a force to be reckoned with in the UFC.

Jeff Chase is a Featured Columnist for the Chicago Cubs and Arizona State football.
Follow @Real_Jeff_Chase.