This is a flyweight fight that you shouldn’t miss.
Of all the fights on this card, the match up between Henry Cejudo and Sergio Pettis may be the most intriguing. Two gifted athletes who have gone through some drastic changes in their styles in ironically opposite ways. Cejudo was the wrestling genius with solid basic boxing and Muay Thai skills. Pettis was the dynamic technical striker with great grappling fundamentals. Now we’ve seen Cejudo polish his striking to an extremely high level while Pettis has added solid wrestling to his already well rounded game. This fight likely decides who will get a crack at the flyweight title in the near future. So what strategies would I offer to each fighter were I in their corner? Let’s dive in and take a look.
Henry Cejudo may have lost back to back fights to champion Demetrious Johnson (emphatically) and top contender Joseph Benavidez (controversial), yet a dominant win over Wilson Reis showcased that the Olympic gold medalist has the capacity and room to grow into a true title threat. The movement on display in the Reis fight showed that Cejudo was willing to expand on his game and play more of an in and out karate game. At this stage of MMA, denying that karate doesn’t have a place is foolhardy. Cejudo demonstrated just how helpful the timing and distance control of karate can be in a cage match. His counter right hand that knocked out Wilson Reis was the perfect display of karate’s tai no sen (attacking just as your opponent comes forward for their own attack).
What Cejudo will want to do in this match is utilize his newfound karate skills to support his wrestling game. While his striking may have improved drastically, he can’t forget that he has a massive edge in the wrestling department against most every opponent he will face in the cage. The distance control and timing will allow him to pick opportunities to either shift back and explode forward with either a punch or a takedown.
While Pettis may have improved his wrestling, Cejudo is a beast on the mat. Should his takedowns fail to bear fruit, Cejudo can opt to play an aggressive counter puncher game to force tie ups. While his counters against Reis were impressive and the highlight of his striking performance in that match, Henry Cejudo still remains an aggressive fighter who likes to force his opponents into his kind of fight. Walking down Pettis to take away his kicks, springing out of range and entering back into the pocket with strikes will be a great approach for Cejudo to remain aggressive while at the same time avoiding danger and forcing his opponent to make mistakes.
On the other side of the equation we have Sergio Pettis who is coming into his own at flyweight. Being the young brother of Anthony Pettis, fans had expected a high flying and dynamic style from Sergio. But the younger Pettis brother has more of a technical approach to his game relying on perfect placement rather than flash. While he does take damage on occasion, Pettis always has his feet set in the perfect place to punch, usually opting to hop back and shift forward with a counter right hand or kick.
This isn’t necessarily the kind of game he’ll want to employ with Cejudo however as the wrestler has some serious power and a granite chin, clearly a man who will take one to give one. So Pettis should look to take a similar approach to that of his battle with Brandon Moreno. Playing the outside game with some timely jabs and crosses to control distance will do nicely followed by his lighting fast kicks.
Pettis should be in no rush to move forward on Cejudo as a counter game will suit his needs far more adequately. Front kicks are a great tool to keep Cejudo on the outside and stop him from rushing in. Should the fight hit the ground, Pettis should waste no time attacking from his back, preferably with the triangle in order to create a sweep or scramble to get back to his feet.
Which flyweight makes their case for a title shot?
Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
