Alvarez: I exploited a huge hole in Pettis’s game
“You can’t be going out there being reckless with a guy like Anthony Pettis, who is dangerous … but he has a deep hole [in his game], so I need to exploit that.”
At UFC Fight Night 81, Eddie Alvarez put relentless wrestling pressure on former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, getting six takedowns in 15 attempts. Much of the contest was spent in those attempts, with Pettis pinned against the fence, hitting back as he was able. It did not excite the asses in seats, but it did win over two of the three judges.
After just three fights in the UFC, Alvarez could be under consideration for a title shot. However, both wins, over Pettis and Gil Melendez, were split decisions.
“I’m my biggest critic, before anyone,” said Alvarez the post-fight press conference, as transcribed by Shaun Al-Shatti for MMAFighting.com. “I don’t need anyone to tell me what I should’ve done. I want to be more exciting, trust me. But I’m not [fighting] guys who are ranked 25 and 30.
“There’s a real small margin for error at the top, and you can’t be going out there being reckless with a guy like Anthony Pettis, who is dangerous, he’s talented, but he has a deep hole [in his game], so I need to exploit that. I’d be stupid not to. So I definitely got the job done. If I was able to do some highlights in-between, then that’s great. But look, I want to do something huge here.”
“I didn’t see a split decision going in. I’m the type of fighter who assumes I lose every round. I need my coach to tell me how I did. But that fight in particular, when I went back after the third, I assumed that I won the fight. So to see a split, that was a little shocking for me.
“I would’ve liked to let my hands go a little more. Anthony is a dangerous guy, and the idea was to wear him down, take all the pop off that fancy stuff, and just scrape him off the cage and beat him up. And he’s so talented. It’s tough to take risks against a guy like that.”
“When I signed with Lorenzo and Dana, I simply told them that I would like the best guys that you guys have in the division. I didn’t want top-15. I wasn’t trying to look to show the fans something that I wasn’t. I wanted the best guys.
“So they’ve given me the best guys, and to be honest with you, I don’t know what I deserve. It’s up to the bossman here. Whoever they give me, that’s who we’re going after. Hopefully it’s for the title. I would love, love, love a shot at the title.”
