Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis underweight successful surgery on Tuesday to repair torn ligaments in his right elbow. The surgery took place in Las Vegas by UFC orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Steven Sanders. Pettis is expected to be out for a 4-6 month time period as reported by MMA Fighting.

According to reports, Pettis suffered torn muscles and ligament in his right elbow while training for an upcoming bout against Myles Jury. The injury forced Pettis out of the fight which was scheduled to take place on July 25 in Chicago. The bout was going to serve as the night’s co-main event and was to be televised on Fox.

Pettis lost his lightweight championship against Rafael Dos Anjos in a one-sided beat down back in March at UFC 185. Widely considered one of the most athletically gifted fighters on the planet, Pettis has been bitten on numerous occasions. After defeating Joe Lauzon in February of 2012, he sat out for almost a year nursing injuries before returning to face Donald Cerrone. After defeating Cerrone, the UFC announced that Pettis would move down to featherweight and challenge Jose Aldo for his championship. The super-fight never materialized as Pettis suffered a knee injury and would be out for almost six months.

Pettis returned and won the lightweight title by defeating Benson Henderson. After winning the title in August, he was scheduled to defend it against Josh Thomson in December but an ailing knee injury forced Pettis out of the fight. Serving as a coach for a season of the Ultimate Fighter allowed Pettis to heal up all injuries before he defended his title against challenger Gilbert Melendez.

Pettis has not been able to get on a real roll in the UFC and when he does seem to gain some traction injuries always seem to find a way to hinder talented fighter’s growth. Here is hoping that Pettis can recover from this latest injury and return to championship form.