Pettis serves up the material for this edition of The Film Room.
What made Pettis so feared in his prime was his unorthodox style, deadly fast kicks, patient striking and the ability to fight from both stances. He has never had the best boxing or footwork, but his kicks and ability to keep his opponents at a distance has translated to success. The other aspect that makes fighting Pettis so difficult is his creativity. Pettis became famous after his “Showtime kick” against Benson Henderson in World Extreme Cagefighting, and although he has toned it down in the UFC, the threat is always there. This allows him to get away with things the average fighter could not, like leaping forward with his hands down. However, at 32 years old and with some of the greatest wars in UFC history under his belt, Pettis is hitting the back nine of his career. This does not mean his days as a champion have to be over, but the old “Showtime” Pettis is long gone. With Wheaties-box Pettis in the past, we are slowly seeing him transition into a more disciplined striker who can win fights on the feet without relying on his creativity and flashy techniques.
Since losing the title back in 2015, Pettis has become a more patient and tactical fighter. He will come forward in short bursts and then immediately reset at a comfortable range, where he can work behind his jab and quick 1-2 down the middle. He can be quite effective fighting like this, but he often comes forward with lazy combos and gets caught trading in the pocket, where he is least comfortable. Something to notice about these leading exchanges: the lack of kicks. His kicks are obviously his best and most feared weapons, yet he rarely throws them when leading and saves them for distance striking, which makes him much easier to read.
Pettis relies heavily on his kicks, and he is adept at mixing them up from head to toe. What makes them so dangerous is that they require little to no setup to land, and he can always throw them right out of his stance without having to pivot his feet. Pettis has been training in taekwondo since he was 5 years old, and those tendencies have helped him become one of the best kickers in the sport. Taekwondo is a kick-heavy discipline in which fighters are taught how to land their kicks at any distance and are known for their ability to hide their setups, making them difficult to time and anticipate. However, his lack of setups can also be a detriment. He almost never mixes in punches with his kicks, and when he comes forward, it is easy for the opponent to determine if he is coming to kick or coming to punch. It would be nice to see him start ending or beginning combos with kicks, especially to the body, but it is a tendency that has plagued him his entire career. Do not expect him to change it now.
While it may not have been apparent at the time, Pettis’ first UFC fight against Clay Guida ended up as the blueprint for success against him. From the Guida fight, we learned that Pettis struggles to deal with pressure or to get his back off the cage and will stand and trade if he cannot use his distance striking. This same in-your-face strategy was used by Gilbert Melendez -- who was arguably winning their fight before being submitted -- and Rafael dos Anjos, who decimated Pettis for five rounds to become the lightweight champion. At this point in his career, Pettis’ defense does not figure to improve much. However, as a smaller welterweight, his likely speed advantage could help him evade attacks better with footwork. Diaz is a rather slow-placed fighter, so do not expect these two to stand and trade in the pocket, which could be an advantage for Pettis.
Pettis will not initiate grappling exchanges, but if the fight does hit the ground, he has the submission skills to finish opponents. His guillotine choke has proven to be a particularly potent weapon. Pettis holds the rank of black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu under Daniel Wanderley, and half of his UFC wins have resulted in submissions. Diaz also prefers to keep the fight standing, but he can submit the best of the best if the fight hits the ground. It would be fascinating to see how the grappling exchanges in this fight turn out.