UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis isn’t giving up specifics on his game plan to beat Gilbert Melendez, but he will say it doesn’t involve jiu-jitsu.

“I’m not going to take him down,” he said at a Q&A session this past Friday prior to the weigh-ins for UFC 171 in Dallas. “I’m probably going to knock him out.”

That’s not to say Pettis thinks it’s going to be easy to stop the former Strikeforce champion and onetime UFC title challenger, who coaches opposite him on “The Ultimate Fighter 20” in advance of their title fight later this year.

“Gilbert’s going to be a good fight,” he said. “I’m excited to coach ‘The Ultimate Fighter.’ It should be a fun show, and no, I’m not a wrestler, so I’m looking for the knockout.”

Pettis’ co-pilot for the gathering, Chad Mendes, smiled and then said in mock disappointment, “C’mon, Anthony.”

Pettis (17-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) said he would bring in the onetime featherweight title challenger to help him stave off a wrestling-heavy match, which is a big possibility against ground-and-pound specialist Melendez. Although Melendez (22-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) has evolved more into a striker as his career has progressed, his roots in the sport lie on the mat.

Pettis might need to worry less about spending 25 minutes on his back if granted another desired opponent. Asked by a fan for his dream fight, regardless of time or weight restrictions, he chose an option close to home: Nate Diaz (17-9 MMA, 12-7 UFC).

The two have sparred on Twitter with Pettis growing aggravated enough to request a future fight with the onetime title challenger.

“To be honest, the guy I really want to fight right now is Nate Diaz,” he said. “I think the fans want to see that one, so Nate Diaz is on the radar for sure. For me, Diaz is a good fighter. He could be one of the next guys I fight, but he’s the one that talks the most. So I want to settle it.”

Of course, Pettis needs to heal from a nagging knee injury before he settles anything. The 27-year-old Milwaukee native tore his PCL in his title-winning rematch with Benson Henderson at this past August’s UFC 164. He is scheduled to begin filming for “TUF 20” in May.

Still, it looks like Diaz has plenty of possible opponents. Just yesterday, standout lightweight Michael Johnson renewed his call to fight the veteran from Stockton, Calif.