All Eyes on ‘Showtime’

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Growing up in a rough neighborhood in South Milwaukee, Pettis as a teen-ager endured the loss of his father, who was killed in a house robbery in November 2003.

“It’s so easy to get off track, but he’s focused,” Roufus says. “Losing his father the way he did, growing up the way he did, you see people around him who have fallen into bad spots and places. He doesn’t want to be a statistic. The presence of his father still is really big. It means a lot to him. It’s hard.

“Him and his little brother are so close because he basically taught his brother how to be a man, to shave,” he adds. “He really looks after his younger brother like you wouldn’t believe. He’s helping him train. He helps him with everything. His brother could be just as successful as him, and he wants it for his brother, too. There’s no sibling rivalry, only straight up love.”

Koch met Pettis before his first WEC fight -- which took place in June 2009 -- and claims he has not changed a bit since. Wrestling coach John Mesenbrink, who describes Pettis as focused and humble, echoes the sentiment.

“What you see is what you get, which is what I like” he says. “He’s straightforward, honest and a genuinely good person; good to the core is the vibe I got right away when I started working with Anthony. His loyalty and dedication … he’s really committed. It’s kind of all there. It’s a total package.”

Mesenbrink has not adapted Pettis’ wrestling training in preparation for his fight with Guida, who relies heavily on takedowns and conditioning.

“We’re working on things we started months ago, just trying to reinforce them,” he says. “We’ll keep working on what we need to do, which will be effective against all wrestlers. We don’t want to go back to the drawing board. We’re looking at the long-term. Anthony is a deadly master striker but came in pretty much a clean slate for wrestling skills.”

Mesenbrink considers Pettis a work-in-progress but points out that there are not a lot of bad wrestling habits that need undoing. The focus has been on helping Pettis develop a good solid base, offensively and defensively. Mesenbrink, who began working with Pettis before his memorable five-round WEC title fight with Henderson, credits his strong focus, coachability, open-mindedness and willingness to try new techniques with helping him pick up on foreign skills so quickly.

“It’s kind of nice how fast he kicks things up,” Mesenbrink says. “He’s amazing.”

Pettis views Guida as a tough-to-finish grinder who brings a lot of pressure to the cage. He says he feels good in training and believes if he stays true to his game plan he should have no problem finishing “The Carpenter” when they meet. Pettis points out that much of Guida’s famed movement is immaterial.

“I think he has that level of speed with himself. He’s not really pushing the other guys really hard,” Pettis says. “He’s moving around, and the other guy’s kind of relaxing and waiting for him to make a mistake. I give him credit for all of his crazy movements, but as far as the fight goes, he pushes, but it’s not like it’s unbearable speed.

“I think his style is all over the place, but if you just sit back and keep a good range, he’s doing that for nothing,” he adds. “He’s just all over the place. I respect his game, but I think I’ve got what it takes to beat him.”

When asked about his mental evolution as a fighter, Pettis admits he has had to get more comfortable with the attention he receives.

“At first, it’s a shock to be in front of all those people and even just doing interviews like this. Most people didn’t care about what I was training or how I was training before,” he says. “Now that I get more attention, people are expecting me to keep winning and be the best and to have no problem with anybody, but, I mean, everyone’s good in this sport. Everyone’s got their strengths. In this sport, anything can happen.”

Although Pettis feels more pressure to win, he plans to approach fights in the same manner.

“If I keep winning, I’m doing something right,” he says, “and if I’m not, I’m going to change something up. I just deal with [the pressure]. I mean, there’s no way to compensate or do things differently. I’ve just got to deal with it, face it head on. I know it’s there.

“The whole world is watching me get into a cage and fight another man, so no matter what, that’s on TV,” Pettis adds. “Everyone in the world sees it, so it’s all about just doing it [and] being the best you can be.”

Find Yael Grauer, a freelance writer and editor, at http://yaelwrites.com.