Anthony Pettis finally reached the top of the UFC mountain over the weekend.
Originally promised a title shot after a 2010 win over Benson Henderson, Pettis finally had the opportunity to compete for UFC gold on Saturday against none other than Henders…
Anthony Pettis finally reached the top of the UFC mountain over the weekend.
Originally promised a title shot after a 2010 win over Benson Henderson, Pettis finally had the opportunity to compete for UFC gold on Saturday against none other than Henderson. Showtime made the most of his chance, submitting Henderson in the first round after landing a series of damaging kicks.
As a new champion, there are plenty of options for Pettis moving forward. However, Pettis made it clear whom he would like to meet in his next outing, as he called out Jose Aldo in his post-fight interview with UFC commentator Joe Rogan on the UFC 164 pay-per-view.
Here are the opponents Pettis and the rest of the UFC 164 competitors should meet next.
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo wasted little time in refuting the notion that he was afraid to fight newly crowned 155-pound titleholder Anthony Pettis.
In an interview on the Brazilian TV show Planeta Nocaute on Sunday, “Scarface” said he …
UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo wasted little time in refuting the notion that he was afraid to fight newly crowned 155-pound titleholder Anthony Pettis.
In an interview on the Brazilian TV show PlanetaNocaute on Sunday, “Scarface” said he welcomes all challengers at 145 pounds, and Pettis is no exception (via MMA Fighting).
“I can fight Cain Velasquez if they want,” Aldo said on the program. “It’s not up to me, I’m not the matchmaker. I want to fight, I’m here to fight. I train everyday to destroy whoever they put in front of me. I’m not scared of anyone. They have two arms and two legs, and I will do my best and win.”
UFC President Dana White was critical of comments made by Andre Pederneiras, Aldo’s manager, indicating that he was only interested in an Aldo-Pettis matchup at featherweight.
Here’s what White said on the matter at the UFC 164 post-fight scrum (via MMA Junkie):
” … I mean, for his manager to come out, this is what drives me crazy about managers. I love him. He’s a good guy. I’ve known Andre for years. But when you come out and make a statement like that, you make it look like your guy is afraid of him. You make it look like Aldo is afraid. And that might not be Aldo’s same opinion. It might be his manager saying, ‘This is what I want to happen here.’ But it makes it look like he’s afraid of Anthony Pettis, which already gives Anthony Pettis an advantage.”
Aldo also said on the show that White “knows he promised us things” in regards to a fight with Pettis, though he didn’t get into specifics.
Pettis and Aldo were originally scheduled to clash at UFC 163 earlier this month, but Pettis withdrew from the featherweight title fight due to a knee injury.
The Nova Uniao still headlined the event, which took place in his homeland of Rio deJaneiro, Brazil, against Chan-Sung Jung and he won the bout via fourth round TKO.
Aldo has now won a whopping 16 straight bouts and boasts a 23-1 record overall, with his only loss coincidentally occurring in his one and only appearance at lightweight in November 2005.
The devastating striker, who is also a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, has teased moving up to lightweight on several occasions, but has yet to move forward with the idea thus far.
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
During the course of the week, I had been working on an essay about the finer points of infighting, in which I labelled it almost a lost art in boxing. It was for this reason that Josh Barnett’s destruction of Frank Mir on the inside impressed me so mu…
During the course of the week, I had been working on an essay about the finer points of infighting, in which I labelled it almost a lost art in boxing. It was for this reason that Josh Barnett‘s destruction of Frank Mir on the inside impressed me so much.
Through four minutes of grip changes, jamming his head into Mir’s face to create space, and brutal strikes up and down the body, Barnett forced Mir to wilt under fire.
I have said it before and I will say it again, Josh Barnett’s career focus has always been a little off.
His love of pro wrestling and fighting for underdog promotions has kept him out of the spotlight for far too long, and even though many have considered him a top heavyweight for a long time he has wasted a large number of fights meeting friends or people who should never have been fighting him anyway.
The light heavyweight HidehikoYoshida, a well past his best Jeff Monson, Gilbert Yvel, Mighty Mo: these are wasted fights and wasted potential.
Even when Barnett tried to meet better fighters as he joined Strikeforce’s impeccable line up for the heavyweight grand prix, he still ended up missing out on elite competition.
In the course of that ill fated grand prix, Barnett met the two most one dimensional fighters in the tournament; Brett Rogers and Sergei Kharitanov. Both men fared about as well as you would expect against Barnett, getting submitted the same way with the same ease.
Barnett finally met Daniel Cormier in May 2012, a full six years after the last truly skilled heavyweight on his record, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and was soundly drubbed.
Coming into his bout with Frank Mir then, Barnett had a lot to prove.
Mir has made a name in recent years by beating legends on the back end of their careers, and if Barnett had lost a step since his days just below PRIDE’s heavyweight trinity, it seemed like Mir would have another finish on his record.
Of course, fights are not affected in any way by rankings or expectations.
Barnett came in and manhandled Frank Mir in exactly the same area which Barnett’s old foe, Daniel Cormier had just months earlier. The difference is that Barnett finished Mir within 5 minutes.
Barnett’s assault was so varied and ferocious that it would be almost impossible to break it down movement to movement without writing a much, much longer article but there were plenty of key concepts on display from both men.
The first thing to notice is that as soon as the two moved into infighting or clinch fighting range, Barnett stayed tight while Mir began swinging both hands at once, his elbows coming far clear of his body. This is very important because while the commentary team and the crowd were impressed by Mir’s punches, they opened Mir up for grips behind his neck and for underhooks.
While Barnett looked to be getting hit more cleanly as he moved Mir to the fence, he did get Mir to the fence and that is where Mir stopped being effective altogether. I say it time and time again but the importance of ring craft is that no-one can generate decent power with their legs straight underneath them and their back to the fence.
Mir continued to swing wide even with his back to the fence and this opened up grips for Barnett or opportunities just to land with shorter strikes like elbows.
The importance of not punching wide in the clinch was amply demonstrated by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira versus Fabricio Werdum. Nogueira, however, had dominant position with Wedum’s back to the fence.
As Nogueira got over-eager to do damage he let his punching arm loop out and Werdum grabbed an underhook on that side, used it to steer himself off of the fence and initiated the fight finishing grappling exchange.
Barnett looked magnificent on the inside as he switched between underhooks and collar ties, left handed and right handed blows, knees to the body and punches to the ribs or head. I don’t rate Barnett highly as a pure striker, but as a thinking fighter he is second to none in the heavyweight division.
Barnett’s constant use of his head to keep Mir standing was also wonderful and he used it to employ the classic (and rarely seen) Jack Johnson uppercut. Far from a traditionally recognized technique, this is simply the name I have given to a variant of uppercut applied masterfully by the first black boxing heavyweight champion of the world, Jack Johnson.
Even though it is the shortest punch in the traditional boxing arsenal, the uppercut lacks power at almost chest to chest range, so Johnson, while wrestling with an opponent, would turn his hips all the way through to the other side and bring his uppercut up almost perpendicular to where it would normally arc.
Barnett was able to connect a couple of extremely stiff Jack Johnson uppercuts on Mir as Barnett used his head to brace against Mir.
The bout ended off of a series of grip changes and hard shots which culminated in a cross face and underhook being used to bring Mir into line for a hard knee strike. Mir sagged and the fight was called off.
Barnett knows Mir. He trained Ian Freeman for Frank Mir over a decade ago.
Of course Mir isn’t the same fighter, he can strike pretty well now and wrestle better than before, but he is still prone to wilting under pressure.
Mir pulls off a big submission or finish, or he gets ground down. Mir’s style is not to come back while under fire. In his notable comeback against Nogueira, it was Nogueira’s decision to jump a guillotine rather than pound Mir out which gave Mir the chance to come back.
Barnett masterfully avoided grappling with Mir and avoided striking out in the open where Mir might have had something of an edge. Instead Barnett got to the inside, made the fight ugly and put on the finest display of clinch boxing I have seen in quite some time.
Is he one of the best rounded heavyweights in the world?
No. But Josh Barnett can hang with most, and on top of some serious ground and pound and terrifying leg locks, Barnett now seems to have found a more impressive and damaging way to use his wrestling (though it may be a little less crowd pleasing than the multiple suplex).
Pick up Jack’s eBooks Advanced Striking and Elementary Striking from his blog, Fights Gone By.
When it comes to newly belted lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva must be in ecstasy. Truly, it’s hard to remember a time when there were so many options in choosing a top contender.
The addition of Strikeforce veterans, coupled …
When it comes to newly belted lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, UFC matchmaker Joe Silva must be in ecstasy. Truly, it’s hard to remember a time when there were so many options in choosing a top contender.
The addition of Strikeforce veterans, coupled with the rise of young, yet experienced fighters has runneth over the cup of 155 pounds. With that said, it isn’t a lightweight that most fans are clamoring to see Pettis fight.
That would be long-time featherweight champion Jose Aldo.
That isn’t especially surprising. Pettis and Aldo were slated to face off in a featherweight title fight at UFC 163, but a knee injury forced Pettis off the card. He was replaced by Chan Sung Jung, but Pettis was still quick to call him out after beating Henderson Saturday night.
To some degree, a fight between Aldo and Pettis makes sense.
Aldo desperately wants to move to lightweight. He makes it known at everypossibleopportunity. If he vacates the belt and finally takes the plunge, an immediate title shot would be warranted.
However, the UFC and Pettis’ management team would most certainly prefer him to remain the only Brazilian champion in the UFC right now (not counting sort-of-champion Renan Barao), ensuring his drawing power in the huge South American market. This makes a run at 155 pounds unlikely for Aldo until his body simply cannot handle the notoriously difficult weight cut, which is unlikely to be the case for at least a few years.
So that shifts things back to the lightweight division, and once again, there are plenty of candidates.
Rankings-wise, the first person to talk about would be T.J. Grant.
The suddenly heavy-handed Canadian was originally supposed to be Ben Henderson’s opponent at UFC 164 but suffered a concussion in training camp that opened the door to the Bendo-Pettis rematch (as well as a boatload of conspiracy theories). He owns wins over several solid lightweights in Matt Wiman and Evan Dunham, but he truly exploded onto the title picture when he cold-cocked long-time contender Gray Maynard.
Grant, though, still doesn’t have a clear date for a return. While he would be the most clear-cut choice to face Pettis, it is contingent on his ever-so-gradual recovery. That, unfortunately, can keep him out of the picture for a while yet.
The next fighter worth bringing up would be former Strikeforce champion Josh Thomson.
Thomson entered the UFC on a 3-3 skid entering the UFC (two of those losses coming opposite Gilbert Melendez), but there was no question that he was a savvy, well-rounded veteran who deserved a chance in the Octagon. Any and all doubters looked the fool after his demolition of Nate Diaz.
The problem with a Thomson title shot is his lack of a winning streak. He alternated wins and losses over his last four, meaning he is currently only on a one-fight winning “streak.” While his fight before Diaz was a razor-thin decision loss against Melendez that many scored in favor of “The Punk,” it wasn’t quite lopsided enough to make the UFC hesitate in making a Henderson-Melendez title unification bout.
At least for now, that keeps Thomson out of the running.
That brings us to Pat Healy. Healy is one of the most under-appreciated fighters in MMA history and owns under-the-radar stoppage victories over welterweights Paul Daley and Carlos Condit. Since dropping to lightweight, he has amassed an impressive 8-1 (1) record. He was slated for a title bout with Melendez on two occasions, though Melendez withdrew from both due to injuries.
The big hiccup for Healy is that he is currently slated to fight fast-rising Khabib Nurmagomedov. The young Russian has been absolutely fearsome thus far and should prove to be a major challenge for Healy. If he can pass that test, though, it would be hard to argue against giving him a title shot.
The final person to discuss is Rafael dos Anjos.
The five-year UFC vet has had some high highs in his career but seems to finally have all his skills polished to a championship shine now. He is riding a five-fight winning streak, most recently capped by a clean victory over Donald Cerrone.
In spite of the big win over “Cowboy,” he is still likely a win or two away from the required amount of mainstream attention that is typically needed for a UFC title shot. However, should Grant or Healy fight for the belt, a top contender fight with Thomson fits things together perfectly.
So the short version?
Pettis should fight Aldo if he moves up to lightweight.
If not; fight Grant if he is healthy.
If not; fight Healy if he beats Nurmagomedov.
After that? Have Thomson and dos Anjos fight for a chance at the belt.
Ben Rothwell fought a fairly underwhelming fight for the majority of his UFC 164 contest with Brandon Vera. It may have been more a result of Vera’s backpedaling strategy, but Rothwell eventually got the finish.
Speaking with Joe Rogan after the fight,…
Ben Rothwell fought a fairly underwhelming fight for the majority of his UFC 164 contest with Brandon Vera. It may have been more a result of Vera’s backpedaling strategy, but Rothwell eventually got the finish.
Speaking with Joe Rogan after the fight, Rothwell called out Travis Browne. The UFC contender took to Twitter to respond to Rothwell’s callout.
Browne continued, saying Rothwell is out of his league:
Rothwell responded saying his callout wasn’t done maliciously.
Browne replied to the UFC 164 winner by saying he should earn the high-profile fights by his performance in the cage, not with an interview.
Rothwell and Browne were supposed to meet up last year, but an injury forced Rothwell out of action. Browne has subsequently shot up the rankings with wins over Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem in his recent fights. Rothwell meanwhile has alternated wins and losses since joining the UFC’s ranks.
Rothwell was doing his best to help get a big matchup with the Wisconsin crowd behind him, and you cannot blame him since it seems a lot easier to get high-profile fights through talking rather than actually fighting.
You also cannot blame Browne for not being interested as it’s clear the two men are nowhere near one another in the heavyweight rankings.
Team Alpha Male standout Chad Mendes did everything in his power to make sure he wasn’t the odd man out in the crowded featherweight title picture, becoming the first man to knock out Clay Guida in his 44 professional fights.
With the decisive victory,…
Team Alpha Male standout Chad Mendes did everything in his power to make sure he wasn’t the odd man out in the crowded featherweight title picture, becoming the first man to knock out Clay Guida in his 44 professional fights.
With the decisive victory, “Money” has now made it four straight victories, all knockouts, since losing to divisional champ Jose Aldo at UFC 142 in January.
Mendes believes he’s done enough to earn a rematch with “Scarface” and he also has a backup plan in mind if Aldo isn’t healthy enough to get back inside the Octagon sometime soon.
Alright @josealdojunior it’s time for the rematch. I am the #1 contender…… period! Lets do this.
Mendes, the top-ranked 145-pounder in the UFC’s official rankings, would likely have a tough matchup on his hands with Ricardo Lamas, who is also riding a four-fight win streak.
Lamas has finished top contenders Cub Swanson and Erik Koch since reinventing himself at featherweight, staking a claim for the next crack at Aldo.
The top dog at featherweight, Aldo has won an incredible 16 bouts in a row, most recently taking out fan favorite Chan-Sung Jung at UFC 163 earlier this month.
Aldo’s next move remains unclear, as both newly crowned lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and UFC President Dana White have expressed an interest in a Pettis-Aldo superfight, but a knee injury leaves “Showtime’s” return date up in the air (via MMA Junkie).
Adding improved boxing and serious knockout power to his solid wrestling base, has Mendes done enough to earn a second chance to crack the Aldo puzzle?
JohnHeinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.
During the course of the week, I had been working on an essay about the finer points of infighting, in which I labelled it almost a lost art in boxing. It was for this reason that 