Former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis met Charles Oliveira in his featherweight debut at UFC on Fox 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Following a three-fight losing run, Pettis ditched the lightweight division to meet the No. 6 featherweight in the UFC and see how he'd fare. After two rounds, Pettis looked like he was on his way to a loss, but instead surprised almost everyone by submitting Oliveira with a guillotine in the third.
INCREDIBLE! @ShowtimePettis submits Charles Oliveira with a guillotine choke! #UFCVancouver https://t.co/UyU8apN6SK
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) August 28, 2016
After a dominant first round for Pettis that saw Oliveira dropped with kicks and possibly in real trouble, the tide turned in the second round. Oliveira countered his striking with pressure, clinching, and grappling that Pettis couldn't seem to decipher. While Pettis's striking throughout was connecting and clearly having affecting Oliveira, Oliveira was still dominating and controlling the fight. He scored takedown after takedown on Pettis, wrapping him up repeatedly in back control and body triangles. Pettis's defense was strong enough that he staved off Oliveira's choke attempts and survived to the bell.
Pettis got comfortable and started working his own offense and it payed off. Pettis is an outstanding MMA guard player and scrambler
— T. P. Grant (@TP_Grant) August 27, 2016
That was an excellent fight from both sides. Striking, transitions, scrambles. Lots of stuff to digest. And Pettis steps up to the moment.
— Mike Chiappetta MMA (@MikeChiappetta) August 27, 2016
The third round was shaping up much the same, with Pettis battling Oliveira's Brazilian jiu-jitsu and getting caught in some dangerous situations. That changed at almost two minutes into the third round, when Oliveira went for a takedown as they scrambled back to the feet and Pettis sunk in a guillotine. They fell to the mat and Oliveira tapped at 1:49 of the final round.
While Pettis had some trouble throughout the fight, he looked powerful and effective with his striking. His luck in the featherweight division remains to be seen, but in his post-fight interview in the Octagon, Pettis made clear he was there for the belt. In the lightweight division, he won the belt from Benson Henderson via armbar in August 2013 and successfully defended it against Gilbert Melendez in December 2014. Pettis then lost it to Rafael Dos Anjos in a unanimous decision in March 2015 and went on to two more decision losses against current champ Eddie Alvarez and Edson Barboza, before dropping to featherweight.
The win in his featherweight debut should catapult him into the top 10 of the division. Potential opponents to establish his status as a contender could include Frankie Edgar, an experienced veteran, and rising star Max Holloway.
Oliveira had been on a fairly dominant run, save for a loss to Holloway via freak esophagus injury early in the first round. Besides that, he racked up submission wins over Andy Ogle, Hatsu Hioki, Nik Lentz and Myles Jury, and a decision on Jeremy Stephens. Oliveira should absorb this loss—to the former lightweight champion following a hard fought battle—without much issue, as he continues his run through the division.
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