Eddie Alvarez on UFC Fight Night 81 bout with Anthony Pettis: “I’ll dictate when this fight ends”

By Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief

Eddie Alvarez

“I’ve been a champion before and I lost my title; I know my mentality going into the next fight. I think he’s going to bring his Sunday’s best. I don’t think that’ll be good enough. I don’t think that’s going to do. Regardless of what he’s trying to get back or this being his comeback, I feel like none of it is going to go well for him. I’m too prepared, I’m too ready for this fight… If I want this fight to stay on the feet, it’ll stay on the feet. If I want it to go on the ground, it will go on the ground. The fact remains that I’ll dictate where this fight will go and more than likely I’ll dictate when this fight ends.”

-Eddie Alvarez talks to MMAJunkie.com about his UFC Fight Night 81 opponent Anthony Pettis, and why he thinks he’ll control that fight in Boston.

Penick’s Analysis: One of Pettis’ weaknesses has been allowing opponents to back him up, forcing him to react from there. Now, he’s pulled off some brilliant victories despite getting backed up, notably pressing back at Benson Henderson and peppering Gilbert Melendez in his first two UFC title fights, but it’s also cost him, as it did against Rafael dos Anjos. If he allows Alvarez to dictate the pace of the fight, he could find himself in serious trouble. If he instead comes out with some intelligent aggression, beating Alvarez to the punch, he’s a dynamic enough striker to win that type of fight, and dangerous enough on the ground to find a finish if it presents itself. This is going to be a good one, regardless.

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