Pettis returns to boxing to face unbeaten Goyat at India's first MVP event in January

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will step back into the boxing ring on January 23, facing Indian pro Neeraj Goyat in a six-round super welterweight (154 lbs) bout at an MVP-promoted event in India. Promotional officials confirmed the matchup, with the Indian Boxing Council sanctioning the card and a host city — among Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Chennai — expected to be announced in November.

Pettis carries a 1-1 record as a professional boxer. He earned a majority decision over Roy Jones Jr. at Gamebred Boxing 4 in April 2023, before dropping a decision to Chris Avila on the Diaz vs. Masvidal boxing card — his most recent appearance in any combat sport.

The fight carries a personal edge for Pettis. His younger brother Sergio lost a unanimous decision to Sabari Jaishankar in India in March 2025, and Anthony has made clear he is fighting partly to restore the family’s record on Indian soil. “I have seen what Indian fighters can do, and Neeraj is the best of them,” Pettis said. “That is who I want. I have thought a lot about Sergio’s loss. This one is for him, and I am coming to win.”

Goyat arrives on the back of a five-fight winning streak that includes a victory over Whindersson Nunes on the Paul vs. Tyson undercard. The 27-fight veteran has competed in China, Thailand, the United States, and the United Kingdom, but this marks the first time he will headline a card in his home country. “Every time I was the Indian on somebody else’s card,” Goyat said. “This time the card is ours. 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.”

MVP co-founders Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, who manage Goyat, framed the event as a milestone for Indian boxing. “We signed Neeraj because we believed he had the potential to become a global boxing star and help put Indian boxing on the world stage,” the pair said in a joint statement. “Now he has the opportunity to headline a historic event in his home country against one of the biggest names in combat sports. Anthony Pettis is an MMA icon, but this is boxing, and we expect Neeraj to show exactly why we believed in him from day one.”