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After a spectacular performance against Ben Henderson, assess Anthony Pettis' chances against Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard.
RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
If Anthony Pettis is going to defeat either Gray Maynard or Frank Egar, he's going to have to drill, drill, drill his wrestling. Ben Henderson might not have been able to control where his fight with Pettis took place, but Edgar and Maynard definitely can. If Pettis can control where the fight takes palce, he'd have a slightly easier time of it against Maynard than Edgar. Easier said than done, of course.
FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
I think Pettis has a good chance, but not a great one. I think Frankie Edgar is going to beat Gray Maynard, and I don't think Pettis matches up well with Edgar. It should be a hell of a fight, but I think Edgar wins the decision over Pettis. All of these guys are young and hungry, but I'd be surprised if Pettis was able to improve his game that much before unifying the Lightweight Title.
ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH SPECIALIST
Anthony Pettis' performance against Ben Henderson was impressive. Pettis has special skills that made him stand out in the WEC. Steel sharpens steel. As good as he has been in the WEC, he has not faced the top ten fighters that Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard have. He may very well rise to the upper level of the lightweight division, but the jump from being the best in the WEC and fighting THE BEST lightweight fighter in the world is an enormous jump. I feel Pettis is easily defeated when he fights either Edgar or Maynard.
ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR
Going into the last WEC event, I didn't think that Ben Henderson or Anthony Pettis belonged in the same Octagon as Frankie Edgar or Gray Maynard. Both men put on a terrific fight, though, and I think Pettis has a real shot against the winner of Edgar-Maynard. Based on Maynard's grounding of Kenny Florian, it's tempting to conclude that he'll win the Edgar rematch and beat Pettis the same way. But the memory of Maynard's close, uninspiring points win over Nate Diaz gives me pause. For now, I'll still pick Maynard or Edgar to defeat Pettis, but that may change.
JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
With the improvement Pettis has shown in just his last two fights, I think he's actually got a great chance at capturing the UFC's Lightweight Championship in 2011. His wrestling has improved, and his grappling and jiu jitsu overall allowed him to defend some very close submission attempts from Ben Henderson, so if he works that part of his game he may be able to keep the fight on the feet. That's where things could get very exciting. If Edgar pulls off the victory over Maynard at UFC 125, a bout between Edgar and Pettis could be one of the single most entertaining fights the lightweight division could produce. Both fighters are so fast in the cage, and I think Pettis' grappling ability would fare well against Edgar, making this one more of a stand up affair. With Pettis' flashy and effective striking, as well as Edgar's speed and boxing ability, it could make for a very entertaining battle. If Maynard captures the title, it comes down to how well Pettis can improve his wrestling game from now until whenever they fight, as Maynard is a more accomplished wrestler in MMA than Henderson, and will make it extremely tough for Pettis to keep the fight on the feet where he wants it to be. Really, after such an excellent performance in the win against Henderson, Pettis proved that he can absolutely hang in there with stiff competition. This will be a huge step up, but I'm not counting the 23 year old out by any means.
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