Neeraj Goyat to take on MMA star Anthony Pettis in next pro fight

NEW DELHI — Indian professional boxer Neeraj Goyat will face former UFC lightweight world champion Anthony Pettis in a six-round super welterweight (69.9kg) contest on January 23 next year and three cities in the country are in contention to host the bout.

Pettis has primarily been a Mixed Martial Arts fighter and his most recent boxing bout was in 2024, when he ended up on the losing side.

Goyat, whose professional record includes 21 wins in 27 fights, is on a four-bout winning streak, the latest of his triumphs coming in Birmingham in August.

Their showdown is presented by Indian Pro Boxing League (IPBL) Boxing and sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council. Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam and Chennai are in contention to host the contest, with the city and venue to be announced in November.

Goyat, 34, was the first Indian boxer to be ranked by the World Boxing Council and is a former WBC Asia champion.

In 2024, he became the first international fighter to sign with MVP, the American boxing and MMA promotion company founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian.

"I have fought in China, in Thailand, in America and in the UK, and every time I was the Indian on somebody else's card. This time the card is ours," he said in a press release.

"I want to thank MVP and Nakisa Bidarian for believing in me and helping bring this moment to India. Anthony is a real champion and I respect everything he has done, but I have waited my whole career to fight a name like this in front of my own people. I am not giving that night away," he added.

Pettis won the WEC Lightweight title in 2010 and the UFC Lightweight World Championship in 2013, beating Benson Henderson for both triumphs. He made his professional debut in January 2007, so the upcoming fight night falls 20 years after his first professional fight, and days before he turns 40.

Outside the ring, Pettis is a co-promoter of the Indian Fight League (IFL), the country's MMA league, and the IPBL.