Brian Foster file photo: Mike Fridley | Sherdog.com
Once upon a time, Petz was a solid welterweight gatekeeper with a nasty penchant for body punches. That’s just not the case anymore. It’s fighters like Foster who have become the new gatekeepers, and they’re a far more dangerous version of their predecessors.
The expectation is that Petz and Foster will meet at center cage and mix it up, but the reality is much more one-sided. Petz’s physical depreciation has made his movement leaden, and whatever punching power he once had is long gone. Losing his power is one thing, but presenting Foster with an immobile target is just asking for a loss and black eye to match.
Fleet of foot and fist, Foster can move in and out while landing at will, which is exactly the worst kind of sparring partner for Petz. Asking him to stalk someone around the cage and chase down not only a superior boxer but a more versatile fighter as well, is simply beyond his reach. The other issue sure to haunt Petz is that even if he does put together some offense, there is nothing stopping Foster from grounding him.
In his bout with Daniel Roberts, Petz struggled to stuff takedowns, and Foster has serviceable enough leg attacks to hit level changes on him. While he’s not some magical submission wizard, Foster knows how to hold position and rack up points. That should be plenty enough to take advantage of Petz’s grappling and limited guard skills.
This one won’t be much to talk about other than the obvious -- Foster is a quality welterweight, and Petz has seen better days. It’s a point that Foster will make in short order, as he runs roughshod over Petz en route to a tidy stoppage win.