Eddie Alvarez (27-4) besegrade Anthony Pettis (18-4) via delat domslut på UFC Fight Night 81 och Pettis träningskamrat CM Punk (0-0) berättar att Alvarez kom in med en perfekt gameplan.
Punk förklarar att det var smart av Alvarez att pressa Pettis mot buren och inte låta honom få någon öppning för sina slag och sparkar.
“I think Eddie Alvarez just fought a perfect fight against a guy like Anthony Pettis,” sa Punk. “I know any time I’ve ever sparred with him, I don’t want to stand in front of him. I don’t want to give him that open space and that chance. It was just the smart thing to do to keep him pinned up against the cage and nullify what Anthony does best, and that’s strike from a distance.”
Pettis hade tränat väldigt mycket på sin wrestling och Punk tror att om matchen hade varit en fem ronders match hade Pettis haft en bra chans att vinna.
“The obvious thing to say is ‘work more on his wrestling,’ but it’s the fight game and everything ebbs and flows and things change,” sa Punk. “I think Anthony is actually a fantastic wrestler. One could even say that if that fight with Alvarez was five rounds, Anthony would’ve beat him. He was stuffing a lot of takedowns in the first two rounds. He was maneuvering off the cage. He was doing more damage than Alvarez was. Unfortunately, it just went the way it did. I think he needs to just keep doing what he’s doing. This was the first time he’s traveled outside of Milwaukee to train. He’s training (wrestling) with Izzy Martinez, and I think that’s the right direction to go – you just build off that.”
Punk tror att Pettis kommer att komma tillbaka starkare och lägga sina förluster bakom sig.
“I think losses really make champions,” sa han. “Anthony was there before, and I think he’ll come back stronger. He’s not so much discouraged that he is just disappointed that he lost. But it’s in the past, he’s going to move forward and he’ll fight again.”