Anthony Pettis posts old Michel Pereira message, exposing his fanboy past

Anthony Pettis took to his Instagram account to post an old message he got from Michel Pereira in 2018. The 'Showtime' revealed the screenshot of the message in which Pereira declared himself to be a fan of Pettis and stated that the former UFC lightweight champion is an "example of an athlete" for him.

After Pereira defeated Khaos Williams at UFC Vegas 17 last weekend, the Brazilian called out Pettis during the post-fight interview. The 27-year-old said that he and Pettis both snatched victories at UFC's last event of the year, before proceeding to challenge Showtime to a fight.

WHAT A CLOSE FROM SHOWTIME! 🎥 #UFCVegas17 pic.twitter.com/9hljGB2xam

— UFC (@ufc) December 20, 2020

Pereira had also accused Pettis of ducking him and added that Showtime is afraid to accept the fight. Pettis, observing Pereira's trash talk, recently posted a screenshot of the message that the Brazilian sent him in 2018.

"I am your fan and I live in Japan, you are an example of an athlete for me! I started to show and be the showman from Asia because of you! Thank you, look at my video doing some things you do, if you can island on YouTube, you will see many other things! Michel Demolidor," read Pereira's message.

Pettis also added a caption to his post which will certainly sting Pereira. It said:

I never heard of you before Saturday but I see you've been a fan all your life. I have an autograph on the Reebok for you. With love, Anthony "Showtime" Pettis.

Although Pettis eventually removed the post, it was too late for it to go unnoticed by the MMA community.

Anthony Pettis just ruined Michel Pereira in response to Pereira saying Pettis left the UFC because he was afraid to fight him 💀 pic.twitter.com/ryI5YMDVY7

— MMA Eejit 🇮🇪 (@MMAEejit) December 24, 2020

Anthony Pettis leaves UFC for PFL

Shortly after defeating Alex Moroono at UFC Vegas 17, Anthony Pettis revealed that it was the last fight of his UFC contract and that he may leave the promotion. It looked as though Pettis would join Bellator, where his brother Sergio Pettis also competes. However, Showtime ended up signing with PFL (Professional Fighters League).

“I’m looking to make a run at another world championship, and the PFL format will allow me to do that in 12 months and do it again the following year at 170 pounds. The offer the PFL gave me was extremely fair and they presented it as a partnership. Ready for a new chapter and a fresh start. Gonna be a fun ride! It’s Showtime!!!," said Pettis while speaking to Ariel Helwani.

I asked @Showtimepettis tonight why he signed with PFL. His response: pic.twitter.com/Wfmh2HcHk5

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) December 23, 2020