UFC 136 Results: Clay Guida Fight Led Anthony Pettis to Where He Is Now

After seeing a UFC title shot slip away with a loss to Clay Guida, Anthony Pettis bounced back with a hard-fought split decision victory over Jeremy Stephens at UFC 136. Pettis was far from dominant, but the former WEC lightweight champion showed that his work with Ben Askren at Roufusport had helped improve his wrestling. 

"I thought I did enough in the second and third round to control the fight," Pettis said in an interview with MMA Fighting.

Pettis' wrestling failed him against Guida, who took "Showtime" down repeatedly in June. However, Pettis now says his experience against Guida helped him to improve. For a 24-year-old fighter who was already considered a contender, Pettis' growth is a scary thought for any potential opponents. 

"The Guida fight led me to where I am now," Pettis said.

By getting back into the win column, Pettis moved back into position to contend for the lightweight belt, which Frankie Edgar defended in the main event of UFC 136. One of the fighters standing between Pettis and the title shot he had previously been promised is Ben Henderson.

"I'm looking forward to fighting him (Henderson) again," Pettis said.

In the final event in WEC history, Pettis stole Henderson's 155-pound title with an incredible performance, which was capped off by the now-famous Showtime Kick. With both fighters still being very young in the sport, Pettis seems sure the two will meet up again.

Sean Smith is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. Sean has also had his work featured on UFC.com, LowKick.com and TheMMACorner.com. For the latest insight and updates on everything MMA, you can follow Sean on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA.