According to Brazilian site Combate, the UFC are currently eyeing a potentially explosive lightweight encounter between Anthony Pettis and Eddie Alvarez for UFC Fight Night 81 in Boston on January 17th.
Pettis has been out of action since losing the lightweight title to Rafael Dos Anjos back in March. As has often the case for the 28 year-old it was injury woes that have kept him out of the cage.
That’s the reason ‘Showtime’ has only fought three times in that past two years which is a real shame considering that he should be in the prime of his career at this stage. Still, with five wins in a row prior to his loss against RDA he remains the division’s No.1 contender, so a win over Alvarez could put him in a strong position for title contention.
Alvarez, who’s ranked just a few places behind him at No.4 will have other plans though and after catching wind of the potential match-up he’s already been promising his fans on social media that this fight, “will be something special.”
Formerly Bellator’s lightweight champion, the 31 year-old Alvarez switched to the UFC this time last year and went straight into a tough match-up against Donald Cerrone which he lost by unanimous decision.
However, Alvarez has since bounced back with a big win over Gilbert Melendez, albeit by an extremely close split decision verdcit which has kept him right in the thick of things at the top end of the division.
If Pettis Vs Alvarez does indeed end up on the card then Fight Night 81 would be packing a formidable one-two combo at the top end of the bill as a bantamweight title showdown between TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz is already scheduled as the main event of the evening.
