UFC 185: Fight Card, Start Time and Final Pettis vs. Dos Anjos Predictions
UFC lightweight champion Anthony "Showtime" Pettis headlines the UFC 185 card on Saturday from Dallas, Texas. Pettis will be defending his title for a second time and the opponent will be Rafael dos Anjos. To earn the shot, dos Anjos defeated Benson Henderson by TKO and Nate Diaz by unanimous decision in his last two fights.
He currently stands as the No. 1 contender in the 155-pound division and a serious threat to dethrone Pettis. In Pettis' last bout, he defeated the tough and accomplished Gilbert "El Nino" Melendez by submission in the second round at UFC 182.
When Pettis and dos Anjos collide on Saturday, the MMA world will be watching as "Showtime" attempts to pass the newest test of his greatness.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
| Larissa Pacheco vs. (No. 15) Germaine "The Iron Lady" de Randamie | Women's Bantamweight | Pacheco by submission |
| Jake "The Librarian" Lindsey vs. "Irish" Joseph Duffy | Lightweight | Duffy by submission |
| Sergio Pettis vs. Ryan "Baby Face" Benoit | Flyweight | Pettis by decision |
| Jared "The Big Show" Rosholt vs. Josh "Cuddly Bear" Copeland | Heavyweight | Rosholt by TKO |
| Daron "Detroit Superstar" Cruickshank vs. Beneil Dariush | Lightweight | Dariush by submission |
| Elias "the Spartan" Theodorou vs. Roger "Silverback" Narvaez | Middleweight | Theodorou by decision |
| Ross "The Real Deal" Pearson vs. Sam "Hands of Stone" Stout | Lightweight | Pearson by KO |
| Chris "Kamikaze" Cariaso vs. Henry "The Messenger" Cejudo | Flyweight | Cejudo by TKO (POTN) |
| (No. 8) Roy "Big Country" Nelson vs. (No. 9) Alistair "The Reem" Overeem | Heavyweight | Overeem by TKO |
| (No. 1) Johny "Big Rigg" Hendricks vs. (No. 5) "The Immortal" Matt Brown | Welterweight | Hendricks by TKO (FOTN) |
| (c) Carla "Cookie Monster" Esparza vs. (No. 1) Joanna Jedrzejczyk | Women's Strawweight Championship | Esparza by submission |
| (c) Anthony "Showtime" Pettis vs. (No. 1) Rafael dos Anjos | Lightweight Championship | Pettis by submission (POTN) |
Why Pettis Will Retain His Title
While dos Anjos is known for his versatility, he isn't as dangerous as Pettis in any facet of the game. The champion is a more dynamic and explosive striker. This is evidenced by his 56 percent knockout rate in his fights.
When it comes to submissions, Pettis is equally as deadly. The submission win over Melendez was the eighth of his professional MMA career. In total, 15 of his 18 wins have come by a stoppage of some sort. Just 12 of dos Anjos' 23 wins have come inside the distance.
The only fighters who have been able to defeat Pettis were able to grind it out with him. To do that, dos Anjos must escape the unorthodox attacks and protect his limbs and neck against submissions.
The last fighter to defeat Pettis was Clay Guida back in June 2011 at The Ultimate Fighter 13 finale. It could be argued that dos Anjos has a style that might allow him to take Pettis into deep waters, but the champion has improved so much since he last tasted defeat.
While he'll still try the occasional circus attack, he's much smarter with his choices. Per Matt Parrino of UFC.com, Pettis' trainer Duke Roufus talked about how the champion mentally approaches the game at this stage of his career:
"He is very cerebral in his approach to everything he does. It’s so easy to do these fight camps with him because he comes to the gym smiling every day. Some people are grumpy, they hate training, but he likes training just as much as he likes getting his hand raised. When you got that, that’s the making of a legend right there.
"
While dos Anjos is a quality fighter, Pettis is a truly special champion who still feels the need to get better and separate himself from the pack. A head-kick finish is totally possible, but another second-round submission seems more likely. Either way, on Saturday, Pettis will be victorious.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
