Anthony Pettis Takes Boxing to India vs Neeraj Goyat on Jan. 23

Anthony Pettis is lacing the gloves back up. The former UFC lightweight champion will fight India's Neeraj Goyat in a six-round super welterweight bout on Jan. 23, promotional officials confirmed, in a card presented by IPBL Boxing and sanctioned by the Indian Boxing Council.

It's a modest boxing resume Pettis brings with him: 1-1 across two pro appearances. He beat 54-year-old Roy Jones Jr. by majority decision at Gamebred Boxing 4 in April 2023, then dropped a decision to Chris Avila on the Diaz vs. Masvidal card a little over a year later. Avila was his last combat appearance of any kind, so he's shaking off rust.

Goyat, by contrast, is a career boxer with 27 fights and real momentum — five straight wins, including a victory over Whindersson Nunes on the Paul vs. Tyson undercard. He's signed to Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian's MVP operation, and for him this is bigger than a payday. He's spent his career as the visiting Indian on everyone else's show; now the show is his.

The Family Angle

There's a personal thread here that Pettis isn't hiding. His younger brother Sergio fought in India in March 2025 and lost a unanimous decision to Sabari Jaishankar. Anthony has framed this fight as a chance to even the ledger for his sibling, saying he's thought a lot about Sergio's loss and that he's coming to win. He also called Goyat the best of the Indian fighters he's seen — which, given the opponent's record, isn't flattery for its own sake.

What's at Stake

MVP's pitch is straightforward. Paul and Bidarian signed Goyat to help put Indian boxing on the global map, and headlining in his home country against a genuine MMA name — a former UFC champion, no less — is the clearest path to that. They've leaned into the framing that Pettis is an icon, but that this is boxing, not the cage.

The venue is still up in the air. Officials expect to announce the host city in November, with Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, and Chennai all in the running. Whichever lands it gets a card built around a hometown fighter who's waited his whole career for exactly this — and an opponent with a score to settle for the Pettis name.