UFC 185 hits Dallas on Saturday night. The UFC brings the show to the Lone Star State with two title tilts.
UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis defends his crown against top-ranked contender Rafael dos Anjos, and UFC strawweight champion Carla Espa…
UFC 185 hits Dallas on Saturday night. The UFC brings the show to the Lone Star State with two title tilts.
UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis defends his crown against top-ranked contender Rafael dos Anjos, and UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza takes on No. 1-ranked contender Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
Bleacher Report will give you the play-by-play on each and every contest of the event and have complete analysis throughout the evening. The action gets underway at 6:30 p.m. ET on UFC Fight Pass (subscription required).
Stick around for all things UFC 185!
UFC 185 Fight Card
Anthony Pettis (155) vs. Rafael dos Anjos (155)
Carla Esparza (115) vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (115)
Johny Hendricks (170) vs. Matt Brown (171)
Roy Nelson (254) vs. Alistair Overeem (247)
Chris Cariaso (126) vs. Henry Cejudo (125)
Ross Pearson (156) vs. Sam Stout (156)
Elias Theodorou (186) vs. Roger Narvaez (186)
Daron Cruickshank (157.5) vs. BeneilDariush (156)
Jared Rosholt (245) vs. Josh Copeland (264)
Sergio Pettis (126) vs. Ryan Benoit (126)
Jake Lindsey (156) vs. Joseph Duffy (156)
Larissa Pacheco (136) vs. Germaine deRandamie (136)
Once in a while, Joe Silva likes to set up a card with an easy narrative. ‘Name’ fighters are given tough, but not too challenging opponents. We all pretend it’s a compelling matchup even though everyone knows who’s going to win. The fight happens, the good guy prevails, and it’s on to the next one. Such is the case with UFC 185.
The problem with this kind of card is that the bookies know who’s going to win too. This makes earning a buck off of watching people fight a bit of a challenge. Unless of course you like lengthy parlays or winning quarters off of 5-1 favourites. Still, this is MMA after all and crazier things have happened than a longshot winning a fight. Take for instance, the fact that Clay Guida has beaten both men vying for the lightweight title. Yes, this Clay Guida.
So with that in mind, let’s take a more in depth look at tomorrow’s UFC 185 card and see where we can earn some money to contribute towards CagePotato’s Patreon*.
*By “CagePotato’s Patreon” I of course mean blackjack and hookers.
By Sam Stilson
Once in a while, Joe Silva likes to set up a card with an easy narrative. ‘Name’ fighters are given tough, but not too challenging opponents. We all pretend it’s a compelling matchup even though everyone knows who’s going to win. The fight happens, the good guy prevails, and it’s on to the next one. Such is the case with UFC 185.
The problem with this kind of card is that the bookies know who’s going to win too. This makes earning a buck off of watching people fight a bit of a challenge. Unless of course you like lengthy parlays or winning quarters off of 5-1 favourites. Still, this is MMA after all and crazier things have happened than a longshot winning a fight. Take for instance, the fact that Clay Guida has beaten both men vying for the lightweight title. Yes, this Clay Guida.
So with that in mind, let’s take a more in depth look at tomorrow’s UFC 185 card and see where we can earn some money to contribute towards CagePotato’s Patreon*.
*By “CagePotato’s Patreon” I of course mean blackjack and hookers.
Like a smaller, stronger Rodney Dangerfield with penciled-on eyebrows, Carla Esparza just can’t get any respect. She’s been the 115 lb. champ for two years (between TUF 20 and other promotions) and has beaten a good chunk of her division already. We all thought Rose Namajunas was going to wreck her with her creative striking and it wasn’t even close. Wrestlers who can’t strike, beat strikers who can’t wrestle. At these odds you have to take the champ.
If this was a kickboxing match, Roy wouldn’t have a chance in hell. But it’s not, it’s MMA, and sometimes all you need is a big overhand right. It worked for Ben Rothwell and Bigfoot Silva against the Reem and I don’t think his chin has gotten any stronger. Fatty trumps Juicehead for a decent payout.
You might be asking, if this fight is so close, how come “The Immortal” isn’t considered a great underdog bet? He pays out 3 to 1! Well, let me direct you to this short clip and then tell me if you feel the same way. There’s more if you’re not convinced.
Johny absolutely deserves to be the favourite in this match-up, but Matt Brown is still being waaaay undervalued. Basically it comes down to game-plan. If Hendricks grinds out a wrestlefest, he’ll win, but if he strikes with Brown like he did with Lawler, this something of a coin-flip. “The Immortal” has a more diverse striking arsenal than Hendricks and also happens to be the toughest sum’bitch on the planet. Whoever emerges victorious deserves the title shot and either man deserves a bet.
With just one title defense to his name, Anthony Pettis has the opportunity to make Rafael dos Anjos victim No. 2 of his championship reign at UFC 185.
Even in his brief stint as champion, Showtime has proven to be worthy of anchoring a pay-per-v…
With just one title defense to his name, Anthony Pettis has the opportunity to make Rafael dos Anjos victim No. 2 of his championship reign at UFC 185.
Even in his brief stint as champion, Showtime has proven to be worthy of anchoring a pay-per-view card. So far, he’s taken the belt from Benson Henderson with a lightning-quick submission and become the first man to finish former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez.
Now he turns his sights to Rafael dos Anjos. The 30-year-old Brazilian is an unassuming challenger, but a difficult one nonetheless. Here’s a look at how the two combatants stack up.
What They’re Saying
It’s no secret that most of the hype in this fight centers around the champion. Pettis appears to have all the ingredients to become part of the next wave of stars in the UFC. He has the belt, a style that excites and at 28 years old, he’s young enough to keep fighting at the top of his game for years.
Dos Anjos has been impressive in his rise to No. 1 contender status. His knockout of Henderson and subsequent decision win over Nate Diaz demonstrated how dangerous he is as an opponent. It still hasn’t kept him from being a 7-2 underdog at UFC 185 according to Odds Shark, though.
When it comes to pinpointing exactly why Pettis is an overwhelming favorite, it’s difficult to point to exactly one reason. Both fighters are well-rounded, it’s just that Pettis seems to have the slight advantage wherever the bout goes.
Kenny Florian is among those who think Pettis‘ X-factor will be what gives him an edge over his opponent on Saturday night via Fox Sports:
Pettis is one of those guys who shows what he’s made of, how talented he is, every time. He’s fearless, and not in a way that makes him vulnerable. He’s always still strategic, still technical and still smart. He just shows that flash of pizzaz when it’s needed. I think Pettis will be able to hurt Dos Anjos and finish him in the third round.
Not everyone is on board with the champion, though. KhabibNurmagomedov—a man who has already defeated dos Anjos—believes there will be a new champion.
“I think [dos Anjos] smashes [Pettis] in striking and I think he smashes him on the ground,” Nurmagomedov told Marc Raimondiof MMAFighting.com. “Dos Anjos is no easy man. … A lot of people watch and think I beat him easy, but it was not easy. It was no easy fight.”
Of course, there’s an ulterior motive to Nurmagomedov‘s analysis of this bout. He would like nothing more than to get under the skin of the champion. With a record of 22-0, he appears to be on a collision course with whoever’s holding the belt.
It behooves Nurmagomedov to believe that he can win the strap because he’s already defeated the fighter who has it. However, the odds still say that Nurmagomedov will have to overcome Showtime if he eventually wants to add “UFC champion” to his resume.
Prediction
When analyizing these two fighters, there’s one difference that sticks out—defense.
Put simply, Pettis excels at it, while dos Anjos does not. Reed Kuhn of MMAOddsBreaker.com puts it into a statistical perspective:
There’s a path to victory for the challenger. His grappling is not to be trifled with and he has some power on his feet. If he’s able to consistently force the fight into close quarters and wear Pettis down before dragging him to the mat, he could grind out a decision.
That’s much easier said than done.
What’s much more likely to happen is a stand-up affair. Dos Anjos may try to clinch and score takedowns early, but Pettis‘ has good takedown defense that should force the Brazilian to stand and exchange.
Over the course of five rounds, that’s bound to cause some trouble. Pettis should be able to add yet another highlight finish to his ever-growing reel as he puts title defense No. 2 in the books.
Nobody blames Carla Esparza for feeling a little left out right now.
If that is indeed how she feels.
So far, it’s kind of hard to tell. As the UFC’s first strawweight champion prepares to make the first defense of her title against Joanna …
Nobody blames Carla Esparza for feeling a little left out right now.
If that is indeed how she feels.
So far, it’s kind of hard to tell. As the UFC’s first strawweight champion prepares to make the first defense of her title against Joanna Jedrzejczyk on Saturday at UFC 185, you get the impression Esparza is parsing her words carefully.
When she told MMAFighting.com’s Marc Raimondi this week that she doesn’t think her fight is “being promoted as much as it should be,” she also added: “It is what it is. I’m gonna just keep winning fights and then those things will come. I’m not really too focused on that.”
When she talked about her frustrations that a relative newb like Paige VanZant scored an individual sponsorship deal with Reebok—the UFC’s new exclusive apparel partner—Esparza said: “I’m never gonna hate on someone. I’m not gonna hate on Paige for taking an opportunity that was given to her.”
But look, if there are some raw nerves floating around her camp right now, we all understand.
As Raimondi succinctly puts it:
In all, Esparza (10-2), the former Invicta FC women’s strawweight champion, has won five straight and has not lost in four years. She made her way unscathed through the gauntlet of The Ultimate Fighter 20. Yet it seems like there’s always someone else the UFC would rather push, like rising strawweight prospect Paige VanZant, who has done countless photo and video shoots.
So, if—and we say again, if—Esparza is bothered by the notion that she’s playing second banana in her own division, this weekend’s bout against Jedrzejczyk represents an opportunity to begin forcibly restructuring things.
As she notes in her own words, there is one language everyone in the fight game speaks, and that’s dominance.
Even if Esparza doesn’t seem like her employer’s first choice for superstardom in the newly minted 115-pound division, nobody will argue with it if she continues to knock off challengers with extreme prejudice.
It might be the only way, in fact, for her to prove to the doubters she’s the right strawweight for the job of establishing this weight class in the UFC landscape.
After all, VanZant isn’t the only one of Esparza’s peers who has gotten more pub than the champion during her UFC run. During filming of The Ultimate Fighter 20, reports began to filter out that the fight company believed it had “another Ronda Rousey” in the reality show’s ubiquitous fighter house, per Sherdog. It soon became clear that the fighter in question wasn’t Esparza, but 22-year-old Rose Namajunas.
Namajunas advanced through the TUF tournament with three stoppage victories, and more than a few analysts picked her over Esparza at the live finale in December 2014. But Esparza proved to be the more experienced and better-rounded competitor. She used her wrestling skills to battle back from some rough early moments and captured the inaugural strawweight title via third-round submission.
And thus, even though the tournament bracket succeeded in producing the most deserving winner, perhaps the UFC ended up with a 115-pound champion it didn’t necessarily anticipate.
VanZant had signed with the UFC about the same time as the rest but was deemed too young to compete on TUF. Instead, the UFC gave her a free pass directly into the Octagon. She’s only fought once since then—defeating Kailin Curran last November—but has garnered a great deal of publicity, not to mention the one lucrative endorsement deal.
Meanwhile, the champion, the woman who actually has the title, feels like a bit of an afterthought.
Mind you, it doesn’t seem as though Esparza is being ignored on purpose. Much of what’s at play here is incidental, even unconscious. In the grand scheme of trying to figure out which fighters have “it” and which fighters don’t, there aren’t a lot of hard and fast rules.
But then you see things like UFC President Dana White going nuts on Twitter for strawweights who aren’t even signed by the organization yet, and you have to wonder.
Amid all this, where’s Esparza? What’s so wrong with her?
Nothing, obviously, though in the wake of VanZant’s Reebok signing, the situation was noticeable enough that UFC PR officials reportedly had to reassure Esparza she’ll be getting more attention from the organization in the future.
“It shook things up a little bit; it made them realize something they didn’t realize, that I was kind of overlooked a little bit,” she told MMA Junkie’s Steven Marrocco while attending this month’s UFC 184. “They only gave me positive feedback. They were like, ‘We’re going to start promoting you more and make you feel like the champion.'”
Some of this might be the natural growing pains of a new division. Chances are, fledgling titlists like flyweight Demetrious Johnson or bantamweight TJ Dillashaw have felt overlooked a time or two in the larger scheme of the UFC, especially now that the fight company has nearly 500 fighters on its roster and does nearly 50 shows per year.
But as its newest women’s champion, Esparza also inherited the legacy of the UFC’s previous forays into women’s MMA. As evidenced by the initial advertising campaign for TUF 20 as well as much of its marketing of athletes like Rousey, the company only has a couple of arrows in its quiver of promotional tactics.
It likes its female athletes to be pretty and sharp-tongued, and that’s about it. Esparza thus far has preferred to focus more on her fighting skills. She hasn’t talked a lot of trash, leaving the overall impression she’s the sort of competitor who wants her performance in the cage to be the ultimate statement about her worth to the company.
By comparison, VanZant is far more willing to pose for revealing photos or to post goofy dance videos on Instagram. She seems to revel in her status as the good-looking newcomer on the scene. As for why VanZant has been granted opportunities that outpace her standing as a UFC rookie, Esparza has her own idea about that, too.
“The only two (women’s) fighters to sign (with Reebok) have been blonde,” she told Raimondi, “so I’m thinking about throwing a blonde wig on.”
So we’re left with one comprehensive fix here. If Esparza wants her fighting skills to be at the forefront, she has to perform well in the cage. She has to keep winning. She has to leave no doubt.
She’s not going to dominate people as quickly and completely as Rousey has, but she nevertheless has to smother her challengers one by one. She has to suck the life out of them and then get on the mic to tell the world where it can go if it doesn’t like it.
That starts this weekend with Jedrzejczyk.
And if we were Esparza, we’d make it clear we wanted VanZant to be next.
Maybe if she beats both of them, the fight company will finally “make her feel like a champion.”
With submission wins over Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez in his past two outings, Anthony Pettis will look to continue his lightweight championship reign with a win over Rafael dos Anjos this weekend.
Although he was behind Khabib Nurmagomedov i…
With submission wins over Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez in his past two outings, Anthony Pettis will look to continue his lightweight championship reign with a win over Rafael dos Anjos this weekend.
Although he was behind KhabibNurmagomedov in the line for a title shot, Dos Anjos was awarded a bout with Pettis at UFC 185 because Nurmagomedov was still recovering from injuries. While he wasn’t the top choice to challenge Pettis, the Brazilian is deserving, having knocked out Henderson during his current three-bout winning streak.
Carla Esparza will also defend her UFC belt on Saturday, when she takes on Joanna Jedrzejczyk. The Cookie Monster became the first UFC strawweight champion with a submission victory over Rose Namajunas in December.
While Esparza was battling her way through The Ultimate Fighter 20 tournament to capture her UFC belt, Jedrzejczyk was working on earning a title shot the more conventional way. With an upset win over Claudia Gadelha in her second UFC appearance, Jedrzejczyk quickly rose to the top in a developing 115-pound class.
As another UFC event approaches, Bleacher Report writers Riley Kontek, Scott Harris, Craig Amos, James MacDonald and Sean Smith are here to provide their predictions for the aforementioned title bouts and the rest of the UFC 185 main card.
An established and proven champion shares the spotlight with the promotion’s newest titleholder in its brand new division on Saturday night at UFC 185 in Dallas, Texas. In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis makes his sec…
An established and proven champion shares the spotlight with the promotion’s newest titleholder in its brand new division on Saturday night at UFC 185 in Dallas, Texas. In the main event, UFC lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis makes his second defense after a long history of excellence with the promotion against No. 1 contender Rafael dos Anjos.
Women’s strawweight belt holder Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza makes her first defense. She puts her title on the line in the co-feature against the No. 1 contender to her title Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
The action takes place at the American Airlines Arena and there’s a total of 12 scheduled bouts. Three preliminary scraps begin the evening on UFC Fight Pass.
From there four more prelims will be broadcast on FX. The main card kicks off on pay-per-view and has a healthy five fights for fans who buy in. Here’s the card, viewing information and predictions for every fight, as well as picks for fight-night bonuses.
Main Card Analysis
Cariaso vs. Cejudo
The Weight Issue
There’s just about as much intrigue for the weigh-in with this bout as there is for the actual fight. No, Chris Cariaso and Henry Cejudo don’t have any notable bad blood. It’s that Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, has had a horrible time making weight at flyweight for previously scheduled bouts in the UFC and Legacy FC.
After his last issue, he was forced to compete at bantamweight and Cejudo easily defeated Dustin Kimura back in Dec. 2014. With another—and possibly final—chance to make 125 pounds, he takes on Cariaso.
The weight deal has become such a compelling backstory, MMA Junkie reports that there are outlets actually taking prop bets on whether Cejudo is over or under the 125-pound weight limit.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting, Cejudo claims to have “reverted to a prison lifestyle” in an effort to make 125 pounds. Come Friday night, the scales will eliminate one piece of the intrigue surrounding this bout.
Once Cejudo gets into the Octagon he’s pretty good. Kimura is a tough fighter and Cejudo dominated him. He stuffed every takedown attempt and had 84 percent striking defense in the bout. When you add that striking skill with Cejudo‘s obvious wrestling prowess, you see part of the reason the UFC is giving Cejudo every opportunity to succeed.
The other side of that is because he’s an Olympic gold medalist whose inclusion with the promotion is easy to market.
Cariaso is Not Intimidated
After having fought and lost in a main event back at UFC 177 against flyweight champion Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson, Cariaso feels he’s better prepared for a main card scrap than Cejudo. He told Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com:
“I see a guy with two arms, two legs, two hands, and with a big head ready to get punched. He’s a good athlete, but I’m a great athlete myself.”
Why Cejudo Will Win
Assuming he makes weight, Cejudo‘s low center of gravity and heavy hands will make for a difficult match for Cariaso. Kamikaze has the edge in speed, but it isn’t significant enough to keep Cejudo from driving him to the mat at some point.
Once the fight goes there, it’s a one-sided affair in favor of Cejudo.
Nelson vs. Overeem
There Will Almost Certainly Be a Knockout
These two big heavyweights bring anvils for fists and increasingly vulnerable chins as their careers progress. Nelson has only been stopped once, but it came in his last fight against Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt, and it was the kind of knockout that leaves a mark…literally and figuratively.
The average fight time for both men is less than nine minutes. That means if this fight reaches the third round, it’ll be a miracle.
Notable Statistic: Seven Straight Losses by KO/TKO
The last seven times Overeem has tasted defeat, he’s lost by KO or TKO. This streak dates back to 2006 when he lost to Fabricio Werdum via kimura in PRIDE. The last time he lost by decision was to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in 2005.
On the flip side, Overeem has captured five of his last seven victories by KO/TKO. Don’t blink when this one is on. It could be over quickly.
Overeem Patient?
Despite what the numbers and tendencies say, Overeem is indicating he’ll take the cerebral approach to the fight with Nelson. He told E. Spencer Kyte of UFC.com:
I’m a fighter that naturally wants to knock my opponent out. The will is there, but it takes two to tango. You watch tape, you study, you see where the holes are, where the opportunities are at, and sometimes it’s there, sometimes it’s not.
All of that sounds dandy, but when two heavyweights with immense KO power step into The Octagon, it’s best to depend on conventional logic. This fight will end in KO.
Why Overeem Will Win
Nelson is a better wrestler, but he doesn’t have the explosion or cardio to take Overeem to the mat. Nelson’s takedown success percentage is just 17 percent, while Overeem stuffs 70 percent of the takedowns attempted against him.
That leads me to believe this bout will primarily take place standing. In that category, Overeem clearly has the advantage. He’s quicker and he will enjoy a significant eight-inch reach advantage. Look for Overeem to win by a KO of potentially epic proportions.
Hendricks vs. Brown
How Does Big Rigg Bounce Back From Loss?
Per Shaun Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting, former welterweight champion Johny Hendricks feels like he’s “back in college” after becoming leaner in an effort to stay at 170 pounds.
The naturally thick build that Hendricks usually carries might be a thing of the past as he attempts to rebound from his loss to “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler at UFC 181. A change to his lifestyle was in order to attempt to climb the ladder to regain his title.
The first step will be a tough one against the rugged Matt Brown. Both men have good-to-great power, but Brown’s chin and resilience are a thing of legend. He’s proven he can take vicious shots as he did against Erick Silva, and come back to win.
If Hendricks doesn’t fall back on his wrestling and instead pursues the knockout, this could very well be the Fight of the Night.
A Glimpse Into Camp Hendricks
With Hendricks’ more lean physique a topic of conversation, the former champ tweeted this video that shows the work he’s putting in ahead of the bout with Brown.
Notable Statistic: Four Straight Bonuses
Wherever Brown goes, fight-night bonuses seem to follow. He’s earned extra cash in each of his last four fights. Three of those bouts have been the Fight of the Night on their respective cards. This one is my pick to grab the honors on Saturday night as well.
Why Hendricks Will Win
Brown is as tough as they come, but he doesn’t have the power or striking efficiency to put together punches the way Lawler did.
As it pertains to physical strength, Hendricks is a bull once the fight turns into a wrestling match. He’ll have to watch Brown’s tricky submission game, but ultimately Hendricks will wear Brown down and take the victory in an epic fight.
Esparza vs. Jedrzejczyk
Carrying the Strawweights
As the first-ever strawweight champion, Carla Esparza has inherited the responsibility of legitimizing the division. Sharing that responsibility is her opponent Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
This bout is a classic matchup between a grappler (Esparza) and striker (Jedrzejczyk). It could be a great fight that helps to launch the division even more than the The Ultimate Fighter Season 20 did.
The Weird Staredown
Some fighters have quirky habits and Jedrzejczyk is definitely in that number. During the staredowns before her fights, she likes to crouch about waist high in what makes for an odd scene. She told John Morgan and Ken Hathaway of MMA Junkie why she does this:
“I like to look into the eyes of my opponents,” Jedrzejczyk said. “I can see what I can expect – if she’s afraid or not,” Jedrzejczyk said. “Then I feel more confident, more comfortable, more powerful.”
Alrighty. That sounds a lot like the drama before a fatality from Mortal Kombat or something, but whatever works.
Notable Statistic: No Takedowns
Jedrzejczyk has had only eight professional fights, but she hasn’t secured one takedown in her MMA career. Obviously, she’s a striker but that represents a pretty significant hole in her game.
Why Esparza Will Win
Jedrzejczyk doesn’t possess the power to dramatically stop Esparza. The challenger only has a 25 percent KO rate in her career. Her average fight lasts 15 minutes. There’s no way she’ll be able to win a grind-it-out battle against Esparza.
This fight is going to go to the ground and Esparza will exert her dominance there.
Pettis vs. Dos Anjos
Can Pettis Continue to Prove He’s Elite?
Showtime has defeated Benson Henderson twice in his career, Donald Cerrone, Joe Lauzon, Gilbert Melendez and Jeremy Stephens.
Even in his two professional losses, he’s never really been hurt, There’s no questioning his talent and dynamic ability. However, on Saturday he faces a no-flash, no-frills, dangerous opponent in Dos Anjos. This is a significant test as Pettis attempts to line up the challengers en route to legendary status.
Not Going to Talk a Big Game
It would seem Pettis shouldn’t have to sell himself to anyone. His athleticism and skill should do all the talking. Still, the lightweight champion has to answer questions about his popularity—or lack thereof. Pettis told Yahoo Sports’ Kevin Iole:
“If I went out and talked crazy, I could get some attention, but then I’d be acting like something I’m not and I’m not interested in doing that.”
Pettis is humble, but all about business in the Octagon. Being ConorMcGregor works for ConorMcGregor. It’s good Pettis isn’t feeling the need to alter who he is to get a few more fans.
Notable Statistic: 77-15
That is the combined record of the last three men Pettis has faced and defeated—each of them by stoppage. The names of those fighters are: Melendez, Cerrone and Henderson. That’s a pretty impressive list of fighters to have faced, let alone to have beaten.
Why Pettis Will Win
The champion simply has too many facets to his game. Pettis is tough to hit, comfortable off his back, quick and unpredictable in his striking and he’s tough. When Melendez pressed him and tried to force the action, he landed some shots, but Pettis didn’t fade as some might have expected.
Instead, he bit down on his mouthpiece and landed counter punches that changed the fight.
Dos Anjos is likely going to try to apply pressure himself. Pettis will be even more prepared for this strategy as he’s just seen it in his last fight. While I wouldn’t rule out a highlight-reel head kick from the champion, I feel more comfortable predicting a submission win in the second round.
A guillotine choke that starts with the champion on the bottom seems like a logical ending.
With just one title defense to his name, 
