Anthony Pettis Has Grade 2 Knee Sprain; Out For 7 Weeks

Last night, it was announced that newly minted UFC Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis would next face TJ Grant, but was awaiting results on the tests of his injured knee suffered in his championship-winning bout against Ben Henderson at UFC 164 last Saturday.

Those results are in, and they are overwhelmingly positive for Pettis and the UFC. Although Pettis has a grade 2 MCL sprain that will likely require 7-8 weeks to heal, that’s a relatively short timetable for an injury that could have turned out to be a lot worse.

Dana White confirmed the details on twitter:

Pettis has a grade 2 sprain. Needs to rehab and will be back in 7 weeks

— Dana White (@danawhite) September 4, 2013

So Pettis will be back to training in roughly 2 months, and he’ll certainly be anxious to defend his belt. Of course the rumors of him fighting UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo will cool down for a while, but it’s also likely that fight will happen at some point down the road.

Nagging injuries have been an unfortunate trend for “Showtime” ever since his debut in the Octagon.  He was originally scheduled to face Aldo for the Featherweight title at UFC 163 in Rio before a previous injury sidelined him, but it all worked out for the best for him in the end. Grant, on the other hand, is still recovering from the concussion that forced him to withdraw from his scheduled Lightweight title bout with Henderson.

No date or location has been set for Pettis-Grant, and while it may not be as flashy of a fight as Aldo-Pettis, many felt it was the right thing for the UFC to do. What is your takes on the situation?

Outer Photo: Benny Sieu for USA TODAY Sports