PFL 1: Anthony Pettis vs Clay Collard Preview, Odds, Prediction

Antony Pettis and Clay Collard face in the main event of PFL 1, which opens the season in this organization. Pettis signed the contract during the previous offseason, leaving UFC. Collard, a boxer, is also a new acquisition, and these guys are going to present themselves to the fans in a lightweight bout on Friday night.

By the way, PFL decided to make a breakthrough this season and take a step forward. Besides Pettis, another former UFC champion also signed a contract with this organization – Fabricio Werdum. This guy was the heavyweight champion, having him and Pettis onboard significantly increases the reputation for PFL.

Preview

Pettis (-590) or as the fans call him, the Cowboy, was one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC. He would last among the best for more than a decade, having some pretty impressive results. After all, he has been the former lightweight champion in WEC and UFC.

There is no need for talking too much about his qualities. Pettis is one of the best hitters in the division, and we all saw the outcomes of his raging attacks. As years went by, he evolved and improved wrestling, but is still predominantly fighting from stand-up.

He holds wins over Michael Chiesa, Charles Oliveira, Benson Henderson, Donald Cerrone, Stephen Thompson, etc. Regarding his losses, everyone remembers those against Tony Ferguson and Dustin Poirier, which earned Fight of the Night bonuses.

Collard (+500) is more of a boxer than an ultimate fighter in the past year or two. Since the middle of 2019, Collard had 15 boxing matches, while on the other side, zero MMA contests.

Obviously, this guy is more of a striker inside the octagon, and he isn’t that good on the ground. However, that doesn’t mean Collard can’t submit the rival, because he did post some wins in the past like that.

His last SteelFist Fight Night title, once defeating Carson Gregory, came that way. In a professional MMA career, Collard posted 18 wins, and eight losses, with the note that he had four wins over the past five events. On the other side, his boxing record is 9-4-3, but he lost two latest matches, against Maidel Sando and Quincy LaVallais, both after a unanimous decision.

Prediction

The difference in quality and knowledge here is obvious. Pettis was a UFC champion, while his opponent lost three of four matches in the UFC featherweight division some seven years ago once he signed the contract with the organization. After that, Dana White and the management decided to cut Collard.

There is no need to overthink too much here and go with Pettis’ easy win, preferably by a KO. His devastating punching power is just too much for Collard. He might be a boxer, but for sure, he never met a rival like Pettis inside the octagon. The Cowboy is going to show him the difference. The former UFC champ will also exploit Collard’s weak takedown defense and hurt the rival on the canvas. Basically, there are so many ways in which we might see Pettis solving this clash easily.