The UFC 197 showdown between Edson Barboza and Anthony Pettis featured two chess-match strikers. I use the term chess-match here because I find that both men enjoy engaging in back-and-forth striking exchanges. With Barboza and Pettis, you have two guys with phenomenal striking technique especially as it pertains to their kicks; Barboza with the thunderous speed and power, Pettis with the finesse and creativity. In the end though, it was the Brazilian that pulled away with the decision win. How did he do it? Through adaptation, and using simplicity to stifle the free-flowing complexity of Anthony Pettis.
First off, let me say that Anthony Pettis is still one of the best fighters on the planet. Furthermore, he’s one of the best strikers on the planet. When Pettis is on, he’s probably THE best. However, we saw Pettis become stifled against Alvarez, and he was stifled once again here. Not necessarily out-matched or over-powered, but stifled. It’s like the connection between what he wants to throw and what he actually throws becomes severed, and instead he stands across his dangerous opponent watching, anticipating, and then doing nothing.
Edson Barboza was supposed to be the man to force the best out of Pettis. Barboza, a dangerous muay thai striker, matched Pettis in a striking match where the threat of the takedown was non-existant. I mentioned adaptation earlier, and I want to point out one very specific example of how Edson Barboza was able to adapt and overcome Pettis’s game:
Barboza is known for his powerful round kicks to the leg. Since he’s an orthodox striker, he likes to throw the right power kick to the left thigh of his opponent.
Pettis knew this coming in, and had an answer for his opponent’s favorite technique.
Everytime Barboza went to throw the right round kick to the thigh, Pettis would have a right straight ready to uncork to the left side of Edson Barboza’s unprotected face.
Sensing this, Barboza quickly abandoned his right low kick, and instead began throwing the left inside switch kick; the same kick Barboza used effectively against Paul Felder (except this time, to the inside of the leg).
It was this adaptation that allowed Barboza to gain an edge over Pettis.
While this was much of Barboza’s offense (especially later in the fight), another notable strike Barboza used effectively was his left hook. I found that Pettis had the faster hands between the two, but Barboza’s threatening power made it difficult for Pettis to last very long in the pocket – especially when he knew a heat-seaking missile would be coming by way of Barboza’s left hook. Everytime Pettis would try to trade with Edson, he would have to dash away to avoid the left hook. This points out a glaring flaw in Pettis’s striking game which is his lack of vertical movement. Pettis likes to stand fairly upright, and because of this he was unable to duck under the left hook to stay in the pocket longer and land his punches. He had to either risk eating the left hook to land his own strikes, or exit the pocket and try his luck again. Creating this space gave Barboza more chances to land his inside low kick.
Then came the combinations by Barboza. Several times Edson was able to move forward behind his hands to mask the inside low kick. Barboza even doubled up on the inside low kick a few times which caught Pettis off guard. By the end of the fight, the inside of Pettis’s thigh was mangled from all the punishment and it was clear that Barboza would capture the unanimous decision victory.
If you’re an Anthony Pettis fan, I’m sure you’re dissapointed as he once again failed to let that free-flowing creativity take over. Instead, he found himself on the wrong end of a systematic, precise performance by the Brazilian. The question of “What is next?” can be raised for both men as they progress with their careers. Hopefully Pettis can return to his unhindered state of confidence in his next bout.
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