UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie (Aug. 3rd)

[tjumper78]

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2013/2/5/395 ... s-august-3

Two of the most dynamic strikers in mixed martial arts will meet Aug. 3 when Anthony Pettis drops from lightweight to 145 pounds to challenge champion Jose Aldo for the Ultimate Fighting Championship's featherweight title.

now, this is a fight!

[Transistor]

I want them both to jump off the fence at the same time and meet in mid-air

Awesome fight!!

[SDM]

Bah. If you're for this, you're not allowed to complain about Sonnen. You're on notice, Milwaukee.

[tjumper78]

clearly, lamas got screwed.
but this fight is just too good and i cant believe it's actually happening!
btw, i think we get to see lamas vs korean zombie. logically, thats the next big feather weight fight imo.

[Gold Chain]

Bah. If you're for this, you're not allowed to complain about Sonnen. You're on notice, Milwaukee.

Aw, come on pal! Give them a break.

Pettis is a winner, a guy who comes out and finishes.

Sonnen is a talker who politics backstage with Dana White.

I have to take Aldo here, but Pettis has a very strong chance.

[REDDzone]

Bah. If you're for this, you're not allowed to complain about Sonnen. You're on notice, Milwaukee.

Most of the problem with Sonnen comes from him getting a shot off of a loss, at least from me.

Oh, btw, if you are against this, you have to be retroactively double pissed about Edgar.

[High 5]

This fight is obviously sick, but I wanted to see the rematch with Bendo. I guess this gives Edgar another fight, too.

[REDDzone]

I'm torn. I want to see both fights tbh.

I don't think the cut will be a problem tbh. I'd actually be surprised if you told me Pettis walks around (out of camp even) more than 160. I really don't even think he cuts for 155.

[REDDzone]

I do sort of feel for Ricardo Lamas. I'm not sure if he would have been for sure the next in line, and its not like it hasn't happened to Anthony twice, but still man that sucks. He is a good fighter.

[Bernman]

I'm torn. I want to see both fights tbh.

I don't think the cut will be a problem tbh. I'd actually be surprised if you told me Pettis walks around (out of camp even) more than 160. I really don't even think he cuts for 155.

Pettis reportedly walks around at 175, claimed to be 167 for the Lauzon fight.

http://www.cscmmaforum.com/profiles/blogs/mma-s-weight-cutting-trend

I think he cuts more gradually than most for health reasons. If that trend continues, he'll be skinny at 145, and much lighter than Aldo in the cage. If he switches to a quicker, less healthy, water cut, then he'll be less energetic than usual. Either way I think this will be a disadvantageous move for him.

I especially don't get the point of this when he still won't fight until August. He could have drawn Bendo/Melendez within a month of that. Now he'll lose out on that opportunity. As we've discussed before, Pettis' manager is an idiot.

I'm not sure if SDM is being serious, or trolling in the vain of Sonnen himself. Of course Pettis was on a 3-fight win streak and #1 contender at the higher, much better weight class. He's more than deserving over any 145 lber. That's not a question. Sonnen was coming off a loss, at a lower, weaker weight class. I thought Frankie deserved the 145 lb shot too because he deserved to beat Bendo in his previous fight and 155 is bigger and better. Aldo being a stout champ doesn't preclude that from being the case, and of course Frankie almost won (I didn't see the fight to argue either way). Lamas got tko'ed by Castillo who Pettis KTFO. He needs one more win for recognition sake, relative to the other 145'ers, let alone Pettis.

[SDM]

Nah, I'm not serious. It's a good fight and I feel he deserves a title shot.

BUT Pettis did jump a number of people to fight someone in a weight class he isn't in, so I would prefer he gets that shot at 155. Aside from coming off wins/coming off a loss in the case of Sonnen, there's no difference.

[REDDzone]

Yea. At the end of the day I don't have a problem with it, because its the norm to not earn title shots these days in the ufc.

But, if it were done the way I would want it done, Anthony wouldn't get this shot because he didn't earn it. Part of being a champion is earning your way to that belt, winning it, and then hopefully defending it. Pettis has clearly done so in the lw division, but not fw. Same with Edgar, same with Sonnen. Although tbh the fact that he wasn't coming off a loss makes it better than either of the two previous scenarios (Sonnen's being the worse because his loss was decisive).

[REDDzone]

I'd be interested in where that link got Pettis weight being at 175. I don't think he's that big, at least not now. I've seen him listed at both 5'10 and 5'11 in the past and think both of those are generous as well. Pettis for example told Ariel yesterday that he didn't cut for his last fight. Maybe he cleaned up his diet or something in the past few months/year(s).

[REDDzone]

I personally think the main consideration for getting a title shot in a certain weight class should be...wins in that weight class.

But, Dana White I am not.

edit: I just responded to a fresh sdm post only for it to be gone when my post loaded. WHAT ARE YOU HIDING FROM SDM

[Gold Chain]

It makes me kind of sad Pettis is seemingly giving up the 155 title shot, for the 145 shot.

Even though Aldo is a beast, the UFC 155 belt holds much more lustre imo.

Depending on what happens, and I see him as the underdog, this could be a big mistake.

Bernman is right, he would've got the winner of Gil/Bendo within a month, so not the brightest of all moves.

[Bernman]

SDM, that is a pretty sizable difference in and of itself, as is previously fighting in a bigger weight class which is theoretically tougher to win in, as opposed to smaller which is theoretically easier.

For his benefit, as I stated previously, I'd vastly prefer he stay at 155, even if it meant taking another fight (which it wouldn't have seeing as though he's not fighting until August anyway). Diaz would have been a very favorable match-up for him and probable big pay day which he could use making 10/10 per fight still I believe.

I think he shares the same manager with his little brother who probably advised Sergio to drop down to 125 to expedite his ascent to the UFC. Instead he put together his worst performance because the cut was too severe and ended up changing his course. In this case, Anthony wouldn't be fighting Chris Haney, rather Jose Aldo. A mistake would mean a loss and a beating instead of just an off night in which he still survived unblemished. Anthony's manager also made a horrible case for him getting the title shot after he KO'ed Lauzon and prior to that fight let him get committed to that match even though it didn't have great upside and wasn't going to happen as quick as preferred. Now he calls out Aldo acting on emotion, thinking at least it would provide a quicker road to the title and next match, then come to find out he'll have to wait until August anyways. He can't change his mind now though because as a fighter he'd appear like a punk.

[REDDzone]

If Gilbert Melendez beats Bendo, and no immediate rematch is granted, Pettis will really really regret this imo.

[Bernman]

I'd be interested in where that link got Pettis weight being at 175. I don't think he's that big, at least not now. I've seen him listed at both 5'10 and 5'11 in the past and think both of those are generous as well. Pettis for example told Ariel yesterday that he didn't cut for his last fight. Maybe he cleaned up his diet or something in the past few months/year(s).

I saw some pictures of him a few months before the Cerrone fight where it wasn't a question he was AT LEAST 175. He looked like 180+. He was quite muscled up.

Pettis tends to exaggerate sometimes and say what the interviewer wants to hear so you have to take some of his comments with a grain of salt. After the Stephens fight he both said he was out to prove he was a good wrestler AND he only shot in response to Stephens initiating a # of times in the first round.

I think reality is he was like mid 160's for the Cerrone fight, after a gradual cut from his walkaround weight. He looked much smaller than in his between fight pictures, but no 157-158. The talk was Cerrone was cutting from 190 and really had to scramble at the end so that's why he looked quite a bit bigger.

As far as his height, in their fight he looked an inch taller than Bendo, who is listed at 5'9". I think 5'10" is fair for him. Maybe it's that you're such a tall drink of water, skewing your perspective. That's a scientifically proven phenomenon.

[REDDzone]

I saw some pictures of him a few months before the Cerrone fight where it wasn't a question he was AT LEAST 175. He looked like 180+. He was quite muscled up.

I'm 6'0 and 175. I stood about 3 feet from Pettis in late October and I felt like I dwarfed him. He was wearing a t-shirt so I don't think it was a case of weight being hidden under a coat or something. This should have been well before any fight camp as well, so I can't imagine he was dieting or anything at this point, should have been walk around weight. Not sure when his surgery was or if that could have affected it. I even posted on this board at the time how he was smaller than I thought he would be. He just doesn't seem like one of these guys to me whose weight would fluctuate a lot either, maybe I'm wrong about that last.

[REDDzone]

If its true he gets up to 180+ though btw my reaction to this goes from one of being uncertain to thinking this is a stupid move. I mean, that's like, Gray Maynard walk around weight. haha