It’s Showtime With Anthony Pettis’ MMA League Set To Debut On Feb. 11

The MMA superstar known as Showtime is preparing for one of his biggest performances — not as a fighter but as a promoter.

Anthony Pettis’ new promotion, Showtime Fighting Championship, will launch on Feb. 11 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, Fla. The main event will feature Jacob Kilburn vs. Lucas Alexander in a featherweight battle. The event, along with future Showtime FC cards, will stream exclusively on UFC Fight Pass.

Pettis — a former UFC lightweight champion who’s active in the Professional Fighters League — promises a night of dynamic matchups on Feb. 11.

“Yo, my nickname is Showtime. The man with the Showtime kick, so, of course, I want to put on a great show. I want to put on killer fights, but I also want to stay in my lane,” he said.

Staying in his lane means that Pettis doesn’t envision his organization competing with the UFCs and PFLs of the world. Instead, he sees Showtime FC as a “niche” league that develops up-and-coming fighters and ultimately prepares them for a bigger stage. “My show is the one before big show, so the plan is to provide young fighters with a clear path to the bigger organizations,” he said.  

And while providing that path, Pettis has a key goal in mind: to keep the best-interest of his fighters at the forefront — which wasn’t there when he started out.

“At the beginning of my career, I was fighting in sports bars in Milwaukee, where fans were smoking cigarettes,” he said. “It was a much different environment back then.”

Pettis said the reason for starting Showtime FC is simple: “I’m transitioning to other goals outside of fighting — goals I want to accomplish.” 

Those other goals include his recent partnership with NXT LVL Hydrogen Water, which boxing icon Manny Pacquiao also promotes.

“I want to bring the NXT LVL brand to the MMA community,” Pettis said. (Side note: The PFL also recently announced it has partnered with NXT LVL to be the promotion’s official water.)

Pettis said he’s always had an entrepreneurial side. He started his first business — a martial arts gym in Milwaukee — when he was 15 years old. He’s also opened up a barbershop and sports bar. “I grew up very poor, so I knew early on that I had to develop an entrepreneur’s mindset,” he said.

But Pettis, at age 35, wants to be clear: Fighting is still his No. 1 passion. He made big headlines last year when he jumped from the UFC to the season-based PFL. He was considered an early favorite to win the PFL’s lightweight title, which comes with a $1 million prize. But his 2021 season didn’t go as planned: He lost both of his PFL bouts.

Pettis said he’ll be more prepared this season, saying his ultimate goal is to win the PFL title. And if he does, he would become the only fighter who has held the lightweight crowns in the WEC, UFC and PFL.

“I’ll say this publicly, I underestimated the PFL’s talent last year,” he said. “But this year is going to be different,” adding that he’s learned that “you have to be strategic” when competing in a season-based league.

And that’s who Pettis is — strategic in fighting and in business.