Champ Anthony Pettis targeting July 5 return, expects Ben Henderson to beat Josh Thomson at UFC on Fox 10

By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis was forced out of last month's UFC on Fox 9 card when a knee injury he suffered in training required surgery. While the prognosis suggested he might not be able to return until late summer, Pettis himself is more ambitious than that.

According to Ariel Helwani on Wednesday's UFC Tonight on Fox Sports 1, the soon-to-be-27-year-old Champ is targeting the UFC's expected July 5 pay-per-view event in Las Vegas for his return. That would be just over ten months after his title win in front of a hometown crowd in Milwaukee, though who he'll face remains up for grabs.

Ben Henderson and Josh Thomson are competing this weekend at UFC on Fox 10 in an attempt to make their bid for the fight with Pettis, and according to Helwani, the Champ is picking Henderson.

Penick's Analysis: If Pettis can return by July 5 that would be well ahead of the expected schedule, but it's also possible he gets slightly delayed if the UFC wants to be cautious. They're likely to run a Fox event in late July or early August, and it's conceivable they'd target him for that outlet given that's what the plan was in December. Now, whether he'll fight Thomson or Henderson, or perhaps a returning T.J. Grant, that's all in the air right now. But with a tentative date in place, the UFC can start figuring out their options on that front.

Source: http://www.mmatorch.com/artman2/publish/UFC_2/article_20016.shtml

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