Anthony Pettis will enter free agency on a two-fight winning streak.
On Saturday at UFC Fight Night 183, Pettis (24-10 MMA, 11-9 UFC) rallied to defeat Alex Morono with a unanimous decision (29-28, 28-28, 29-28).
The welterweight bout closed out the UFC Fight Night 183 preliminary card at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. It streamed on ESPN+.
The opening round belonged to Morono (18-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who capitalized on an early Pettis slip to control the majority of the round from top position. In Round 2, Pettis opened up, fluidly landing a wide-ranging arsenal of strikes.
The final round consisted of Pettis controlling Morono on the ground before landing some significant strikes on the feet. As the clock wound down, Pettis nearly finished Morono with strikes, but the Fortis MMA product survived.
Pettis, 33, fought the final fight of his UFC deal against Morono. He will enter free agency on a two-fight winning streak, including a win over Donald Cerrone at UFC 249 in May. A former UFC lightweight champion, Pettis has won three of his past five fights.
“It is my last fight on the UFC contract,” Pettis told MMA Junkie on Wednesday. “So we’re in negotiations. (I’m) not sure where we’re going from here. My team keeps asking me questions and trying to figure out what’s next, but I’m like, ‘Yo, I’m in such a good spot mentally that I don’t want to fog that vision with what’s next.’ Because if I think about what’s next, I’m not in the present moment.”
Morono reentered the loss column after a win over Rhys McKee in November.
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 183 results include:
Anthony Pettis def. Alex Morono via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Pannie Kianzad def. Sijara Eubanks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Deron Winn def. Antonio Arroyo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) Taila Santos def. Gillian Robertson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 29-28) Tafon Nchukwi def. Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26) Jimmy Flick def. Cody Durden via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:18 Christos Giagos def. Carlton Minus via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27, 29-28)