The Doggy Bag: Topics of the Week

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What do you think of Anthony Pettis facing Clay Guida instead of Kenny Florian? I like that they're keeping Pettis active, but if he's going to be a serious title contender, it just seems more fitting to face a guy like Florian, who seems to be just below that championship level; he already dominated Guida. I should say I'm not the biggest fan of watching Guida herk and jerk all over the cage only to go for a takedown after missing a bunch of punches, but even if the fight turns out to be really exciting, I think they missed the boat on a fight that could've made Pettis an even bigger star.
-- Paul from Miami

Tomasz Marciniak, European correspondent: You’ve pretty much answered your own question with the sentence, “a guy like Florian, who seems to be just below that championship level.” Florian has already had two title fights and the memory of Dana White theorizing his “choking” is all too recent. Granted, the lightweight belt has changed hands since then, but Zuffa likes to establish new contenders while having the guys a notch below fight tough fighters that are currently not in immediate title contention, like Jon Fitch does.

Furthermore, I think that they really like Pettis and were oiling the marketing machine for him before the draw in the Edgar vs. Maynard fight put a spanner in the works. Even as that fight was happening, the commentary crew gladly reminded the audience that Pettis is next in line. Obviously contender status is precious and it makes no sense in losing it to Florian, who is already established as a top-echelon lightweight that failed twice in title situations. Booking a fight against Guida is a win-win.

First of all it is a much more winnable fight for Pettis. He has already dealt with solid wrestlers like Shane Roller and Ben Henderson, whereas a fight with Florian would be a different match-up altogether. Secondly, this is a win-win proposition for the UFC. Clay Guida is riding a 3-fight win streak and is sneaky popular for a non-main event guy. Should Pettis lose to him, there's no harm done because UFC can now justify putting Guida in a really big fight and get the rub from his popularity. If Pettis wins, especially in highlight fashion, he still beats a big UFC name and reaffirms his contendership.

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