UFC 164: 'Henderson vs Pettis II'

[David]

Aldo's due a move to 155lbs anyway. Mendes vs Lamas for the 145lbs strap would suit me just fine.

[wandshogun09]

From what Dana said at the scrum, it sounds like he thinks Pettis is more likely to go to 145 to make the fight than Aldo is to go up to 155. He's saying Andre Pederneiras doesn't want Aldo to go to 155 yet. I've seen Pederneiras saying that in the past, Aldo actually seems to have wanted to go up for a while now saying the cut to 145 has been rough for him for a while.

 

I'd rather see Aldo go to 155 myself. Pettis' road to the lightweight title has been so long and full of obstacles, it would be a shame to see him vacate the title to drop to fight Aldo now. And Aldo has pretty much done all he can do at featherweight at this point. Pettis vs Aldo for the lightweight title is what I'm hoping happens. Dana didn't sound like he expects that though, and said it'll likely be Pettis who will have to change divisions.

[jimufctna24]

No matter the weightclass or when it takes place, I like Pettis to beat Aldo.

 

Both are decent enough at stopping takedowns and grappling, so I think they would cancel each other out in that area. Striking wise, I like Pettis all day. Pettis was given one open striking exchange with Bendo, and look what he did. Granted, Bendo is no Aldo, but Bendo has had lengthy striking exchanges with Edgar and Melendez (both decent boxers) and neither really had Bendo in trouble.

 

Pettis with his body kicks are dangerous, he does not telegraph them, and 2 or 3 can put a fighter in a bad place. The momentum changed last night of 2 or 3 kicks, Bendo went to mush off them that lead to the submission. If Aldo fades late against Pettis, it would not be pretty. Pettis has the power and instinct to finish which deserted Edgar and Hommnick when Aldo was fading against them (I know he faded very slightly against Edgar, but even a little dip against Pettis would be criminal)

 

Aldo as good as he is, does not display the finishing power than Pettis has of late. Cerrone and Bendo were allowed nothing. Aldo at least does let the likes of Edgar and Zombie to steal the odd round.

 

Its a style match-up that flatters Pettis. The blueprint to beat Pettis is to control him, and allow zero open exchanges. Aldo's style as effective as it is, does not achieve that. Pettis is just as likely to take Aldo down as vice versa.

[wandshogun09]

I think Aldo's takedown defence is better than Pettis'. But I think Pettis is more of a threat off his back than Aldo. Even before UFC 164, Pettis always threatened and was very active with submissions off his back. He almost caught Clay Guida a few times and he showed his BJJ skill in WEC as well. On the rare occasions Aldo gets taken down he seems content to simply defend and nullify his opponent until he can stand up. Aldo's submission game seems to be more a top game.

 

I actually think Aldo would do better against Pettis if they fought at 155. I think it's at the point now where the cut to 145 is taking a lot out of him and it's a risky game to play. The way he slowed down against Zombie, I really think he might have been fortunate there that Zombie injured his shoulder. At 155 he'd be fresher not having drained himself so much and I think those extra 10lbs would work better for him over a long fight. He'd probably be quicker and maybe even more powerful because he wouldn't have left a load of energy in the sauna/gym.

 

It's a fascinating fight. I'm sure with how Pettis has looked of late, everyone will be picking him. But I'm not sure. I definitely think he has the tools to beat Aldo and he's probably the only guy I'd give a shot to in a striking match against him. But let's not forget Aldo is a fucking terrific fighter himself. Like Pettis, he's fast, explosive, creative and he's hard to land a clean shot on. His leg kicks are brutal as well. A few of those could slow Pettis right down.

 

I'm really not sure who I'd pick. I'd be rooting for Pettis though. As much as I like Aldo, Pettis is Shogun 2005 2.0. You never know what he's going to do next and the lightweight division with him on top is an exciting prospect.

 

EDIT -

 

Yeah, someone is definitely voting after the fights. No-one had voted Pettis by submission. I even remember looking after the fight to see if anyone on here called it, and not one vote was for Pettis by sub. Now there's one

[Guy Bifkin]

Caught the main card on the repeat show last night. At last BT get it on at an acceptable hour for a broken down forty year old. As I think someone mentioned earlier, I enjoyed the results more than the fights themselves, particularly for the last two fights. Here are some random thoughts for what they are worth:

 

Koch v Poirier had a fantastic first round but I dunno, I found the fact they were so similar didn

[Egg Shen]

I love Clay Guida! I

[jimufctna24]

I think Aldo's takedown defence is better than Pettis'.

I dunno, maybe 2 years ago, but after lengthy training with Ben Askren, and managing to not be taken down by Bendo in some exchanges on Saturday, it could be very close.

 

Aldo is a fine fighter, in the P4P top 5. But, Pettis if his knees do not fail him has unlimited potential, I would say he is a better fighter than Aldo just without the wins to show it. As great as Aldo is, Pettis's performances against Cerrone and Bendo blow them out the water. The loss to Guida I actually felt Pettis deserved the nod, I have not seen his loss in WEC but have read it was a "robbery" and he actually "won every round" in several places.

 

It is not who Pettis has beat of late, but how he does it. Cerrone and Bendo, clearly were damaged once Pettis got a single opening to throw his kicks and strikes, just one opening against two top 10, and in the case of Bendo top 5 opposition was all Pettis version 2k13 needed to boss the fight. Despite Pettis claiming Bendo had a good poker face, I disagree, I saw and felt the fight change at that point and Bendo looked like a deer in the headlights. The same Bendo who has been in there with Melendez and Edgar, who are regarded as top 5 talents and not been visibly troubled .

 

Cerrone who despite being overrated is a top 10-15 155lbs, was made to look like a club fighter, with Pettis effortlessly bringing out the flashy stuff without little regard for Cerrone's skills.

 

Aldo arguably has never been in a close fight even on current form, but he does not display a gulf between him and his opponents like Pettis does. Edgar stole a few rounds arguably, and Jung survived a good few rounds and landed in a few exchanges, both I think would not last 3 rounds with Pettis. Like I said "styles make fights" but this style match-up greatly favors Pettis in my view.

 

I agree on the weight point.

[Egg Shen]

yeh i think i'd lean towards Pettis at this point. Pettis is finishing guys that never get finished, that's the most impressive thing about it all. You can call Cerrone overrated but cant say he isn't tough, Pettis smashed him.

 

Same with Benson, im surprised not much has been made of the fact that how unlikely it is that he finished the fight by fucking armbar!. I wouldn't have been as impressed if i hadn't already seen the first fight between Cerrone/Henderson when Cowboy armbarred fuck out of Benson and didn't get a sniff of a tap (hence Bendo). That shit must have been insanely tight.

 

When Pettis locked it in, i said to mate 'you can't armbar Benson', when Benson stood up i actually thought he pulled out. It was a surreal finish.

]

[wandshogun09]

Yeah, the finish was a shocker. No-one saw that coming, least of all Benson. Pettis was on the arm so fast by the time Benson realised it, it was either tap or snap. Ronda Rousey would be impressed by that armbar. I never really thought we'd see Benson submitted after the way he's dealt with Cerrone, Diaz, Bocek, Miller etc. And Benson regularly takes part in BJJ competitions.

 

Jim, you raise many good points and I can't disagree with most of it. I would lean towards Pettis myself but I think Aldo will be a tougher challenge than even Benson or Cerrone. But everything really does seem to have clicked in Pettis' overall game now. He looks lethal in all areas. His striking was scary enough, now opponents will be wary of taking him down as well.

[Egg Shen]

Benson came out rocking the gi/black belt combo and BJ Penn inspired black belt shorts, poor bugger.

[jimufctna24]

I think Aldo will be a tougher challenge than even Benson or Cerrone.

I agree with that as I believe that if he moved up, Aldo would be a better at 155lbs than Bendo is.

[wandshogun09]

Aldo speaks;

 

"Going out and brawling is a pleasure for me, regardless of who I'm facing, no matter the weight division. Schedule me to face Cain and you'll see that there will be a brawl, regardless of the weight.

 

The only things I fear in this life are God and not having food to eat. If a heavyweight wanted to fight me on the streets, would I ask him what his weight was? No. So you can schedule this shit, and let's stop this 'blah, blah, blah'.

 

This is the fight we want to watch. Let's make it happen, Dana."