Where does Anthony Pettis go from here?

I’m not gonna lie, watching Anthony Pettis lose to Eddie Alvarez this past Sunday was a bit shocking. Not because Pettis didn’t have the offensive output or even the result of the match up, it was evident that Alvarez had a game plan and stuck to it. What was surprising about the outcome was the complete lack of wrestling ability the former champion showed off, especially after just coming off of a loss from the current champion, Rafael dos Anjos, who used a similar game plan. If anything this fight opened up a ton of eyes in the lightweight division. Everyone knew that Pettis didn’t have the best wrestling, but it during his match with Alvarez it seemed nonexistent. I don’t want to be too hard on the guy, but the reality is that he was defeated because of a glaring weakness that he’s always had. If he hopes to move forward and get back to holding the title then something is going to have to change. His striking is slick, smooth, and truly awesome to watch, but the problem is that without decent wrestling none of that will matter. In the main event of UFC Fight Night 81 we saw what it took to be considered the champion in a division. It means striking, wrestling, grappling, and most of all great movement and footwork. In my opinion what Pettis really needs, besides the wrestling part of course, is to learn to move his feet and be elusive. Though Dominick Cruz may get a lot of flack for “running away” the reality is that he’s winning fights because of his impressive footwork and his ability to avoid damage as well as takedowns. What we saw from Pettis in this fight that we saw in his last fight against dos Anjos we saw that the former champion has had a tendency to be get his back pushed up against the fence. Sure, Pettis does like to fight on the outside and Eddie Alvarez is great at putting pressure on fighters, but that doesn’t change the fact that Pettis was too much of a stationary target. If you’re there to be hit, you’re there to be taken down and it’s a lesson that Pettis needs to learn and quickly.

Former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida demonstrated that benefits of not being a stationary fighter earlier in his career. When Machida decided to get more aggressive with his striking and stay in one place however, we started seeing the karate master lose fights. If Anthony Pettis wants to be champion again then he’ll not only need to work on that much talked about wrestling, but he’ll have to improve his tactics and footwork. If he begins moving his feet more, which I’m certainly sure his capable of considering his traditional martial arts background, then we may see a less lethal Pettis, but one that starts picking up wins once again. What do you think Anthony Pettis needs to become a title holder again? Let us know in the comments and forums. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron MMA on Facebook and Twitter. Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor and geek culture enthusiast. Follow him on Twitter and keep up with his latest exploits.