Eddie Alvarez on fight with Anthony Pettis: I'll dictate where the fight ends

Eddie Alvarez

Eddie Alvarez has split results in his first two UFC appearances. For his upcoming fight with Anthony Pettis, however, he said he’s prepared to deliver a performance indicative of his full potential.

Alvarez (26-4 MMA, 1-1 UFC) takes on former UFC lightweight champ Pettis (18-3 MMA, 5-2 UFC) in UFC Fight Night 81’s co-main event on Jan. 17. The contest takes place at Boston’s TD Garden and airs on the FOX Sports 1-televised main card following prelims on the same channel and UFC Fight Pass.

After he dropped a unanimous decision to Donald Cerrone in his UFC debut in September 2014, Alvarez rebounded with an exciting split-decision win over former Strikeforce champ Gilbert Melendez at UFC 188 in June. With the first UFC victory under his belt, Alvarez said he’s found his comfort zone and is ready to thrive.

“I didn’t get off to the greatest start (to my UFC career), but in a way that benefitted me because it kept me good and hungry and ready to go,” Alvarez told MMAjunkie. “There’s nothing like a loss to piss you off and get you back on the horse. That loss was a blessing for me. It was an eye-opener and kept me hungry, pissed off and jaded.

“I’ve always had a confident mindset going into fights, but this one in particular, I just know there wasn’t anything skipped. When I look back at the training camp and look back at what was done, I was pushed further than I thought I could go, and some more. Going into this fight I know (Pettis) hasn’t trained as hard as I did, I know he hasn’t put as many hours in as I did. It’s more of a knowing that a guessing.”

Although Alvarez, No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, is highly confident in the matchup with No. 3-ranked Pettis, he’s also aware of the danger in his situation. After a dominant run up the 155-pound pecking order to capture the title, “Showtime” was brought crashing down to earth when Rafael dos Anjos took the belt in one-sided fashion at UFC 185 in March.

The title-losing performance was deflating for Pettis because he was rendered ineffective for five rounds. There’s no doubt he will be eager to come back and prove the fight with dos Anjos was merely an off night, but Alvarez stands in the way of completing that goal.

Alvarez, a former Bellator champion, has felt the pain and anguish that comes with losing a belt. He also knows what it takes to come back from such a low point, and because of that, he went the extra mile in training camp to make sure he stayed one step ahead of his opponent.

“I’ve been a champion before and I lost my title; I know my mentality going into the next fight,” Alvarez said. “I think he’s going to bring his Sunday’s best. I don’t think that’ll be good enough. I don’t think that’s going to do. Regardless of what he’s trying to get back or this being his comeback, I feel like none of it is going to go well for him. I’m too prepared, I’m too ready for this fight.”

One of the key factors in dos Anjos’ victory over Pettis was his ability to mix up his offensive attacks. Alvarez owns a different skillset but said he shares a similar trait in that he can control whether the fight takes place in striking range on the ground where grappling comes into play. That type of strategy has caused fits for Pettis throughout his career, and Alvarez said it will be more of the same at UFC Fight Night 81.

“If I want this fight to stay on the feet, it’ll stay on the feet,” Alvarez said. “If I want it to go on the ground, it will go on the ground. The fact remains that I’ll dictate where this fight will goes and more than likely I’ll dictate when this fight ends.”

Declaring that he’ll have control of when the fight stops is a bold statement, but Alvarez said such confidence is a product of his preparation. With all but one of Pettis’ UFC victories coming by stoppage, Alvarez said he’s aware he’s going to enter the octagon with one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport.

Pettis can turn any fight into a highlight-reel moment with one strike, but Alvarez said he’s going crush his opponent with a pace that prevents any opportunity to land a crushing fight-ending blow.

“It’s about finding avenues of victory, but I just always feel like the kind of pace I put on people, whether they look good or feel good the first round, maybe the beginning of the second round – eventually I feel them quitting,” Alvarez said. “And when that happens I smell blood and I’ll finish. That’s how I feel and how my training is going and I think that’s what you’re going to see next Sunday, is a fight where eventually I’ll start stealing the spirit of my opponent and it will die down. When it does I’ll become energized.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 81, check out the MMA Rumors section of the site.