Antony Pettis Joins Team Wheaties

UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis has been out of action since last August 31’s UFC 164 headliner in his hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he defeated former champion Benson Henderson for a second time with a first round armbar.

He’s since been rumored time and again to be facing featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Indeed, the two were supposed to meet at UFC 163 before Pettis withdrew with a knee injury only to return 28 days later against “Smooth” when original lightweight title contender TJ Grant was forced out with a concussion.

And while “Showtime” locked up the belt, he tore his PCL in the process and required surgery that will have kept him out for almost 16 months by the time he returns to face Gilbert Melendez after the two welcome women’s strawweights to the UFC on TUF 20.

Injured or not, Pettis is still one of the UFC’s most marketable stars in this bare-bones post-Silva and “GSP” era. That fact was confirmed today when “Showtime” showed up on the endorsement team for on of the world’s most famous breakfast cereals (courtesy of the Wheaties Twitter page):

Please welcome @ufc® Lightweight Champion @Showtimepettis to #TeamWheaties. pic.twitter.com/ZHhk6FNspR

— Wheaties (@wheaties) June 24, 2014

So Pettis continues to gain fame and notoriety, but with each passing month, he also gains the reputation as an oft-injured champion who rarely defends his belt. There’s no doubt that he is one of the most dynamic and dangerous fighters in the game today, but it’s a shame to see one the most stacked divisions in the UFC being held at a standstill for nearly a year-and-a-half.

Will Pettis stay healthy long enough to fulfill his massive potential as the UFC’s next golden boy?