Ever since the newly-minted UFC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis called out UFC Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, the MMA world has been abuzz with the possibilities. Yes, Aldo was expected to face Pettis at UFC 163, but that was a fight born out of expedience, a way to keep “Showtime” busy as Benson Henderson fought more deserving challengers. But now that the former WEC champion has ascended to the UFC lightweight throne, we have a bona fide superfight on our hands, and it’s a superfight worth pursuing.
For years, the UFC has tempted MMA fans with the idea of a superfight between Anderson Silva and Georges St. Pierre, and in later years, the idea of Silva taking on Jon Jones in a superfight has made those same fans excited. But unfortunately, those fights never came to pass, and after “The Spider” lost to Chris Weidman, those fights were lost as an ongoing concern. However, the truth is, those divisions were never as in need of a superfight as the UFC’s lightweight and featherweight divisions. Despite all the Fight of the Year candidates that Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar were a part of, and despite the tantalizing knockouts that Jose Aldo has been able to deliver, their championship bouts on pay-per-view were only able to garner below-average buyrates. UFC 163 was estimated at below 200,000 buys. That is far below what the UFC should expect for an PPV, and it should inform the decision of whether to move forward with a fight between the lightweight and featherweight champions.
The truth of the matter is that neither the lightweight or featherweight division has ensconced itself as a marquee division in the eyes of the casual fan. While BJ Penn was a mainstream draw, he became so after multiple forays at welterweight, including a highly-visible title challenge against GSP while he was the lightweight champion. In short, it was a superfight that made him a star, and he didn’t even have to win to solidify himself as a top-tier draw.
It is against that backdrop that Jose Aldo considers a jump to lightweight to take on the champion. Like Penn, Aldo is considered a cut above the rest of his division, a division which, truth be told, is largely composed of fighters who dropped down from lightweight, as well as fighters who starred in WEC’s under-watched promotion. Aldo’s highest-profile fight was against Frankie Edgar, one fight removed from two controversial defeats to the lightweight champion, but UFC 156 was still only able to garner 330,000 buys, barely mustering the sum of its low-drawing parts. This is not to disparage either Edgar or Aldo, but if the closest thing to a superfight the featherweight division has ever seen wasn’t able to hit 400K, what is the opportunity cost of forgoing Aldo taking on Chad Mendes or Ricardo Lamas? Furthermore, what is lost by having those men take on each other, either for an Interim Featherweight Championship if Aldo moves up temporarily, or the vacated title if his move is permanent? Will the buyrate really bottom out?
And the addition of Anthony Pettis changes the dynamic a lot. Anderson Silva may be considered by best striker the sport has ever seen, but in terms of Right Now, the two men most mentioned as part of that discussion are Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis. The promise of the most exciting striking contest that the lightweight division — and possibly the sport — has ever seen, the pairing of two of MMA’s deadliest strikers, and the concept of bad blood and trash talk as well, these are all marketable elements, selling points a tier beyond anything that has happened at lightweight, even during the BJ Penn Era. One of those men will become a superstar at the end of the fight, because both will have the greatest possible number of eyes on them, anticipating something breathtaking.
And let’s not forget the win-win elements. If Pettis wins, he establishes himself as the sport’s preeminent striker, and the young star the lightweight division needs, while Aldo could either return to 145 to reclaim/unify the featherweight title, or strike out on a new and potentially engaging path of redemption at 155. If Aldo wins, he establishes himself as the sports’s top striker, and a two-division champion at that. Pound-for-pound consideration truly has to become part of his career narrative at that point, and the visual of him hoisting two title belts endures indelibly. Pettis, however, would still possess the opportunity to reinvent himself for a possible rematch or trilogy, and his fans would be on board for that journey. Superstars are defined by their foils, and each man can be that for the other.
Admittedly, the cruelest victim of the superfight would be TJ Grant, whose title opportunity was lost, and who would see himself passed over yet again because of a bigger fight. But that too can become part of the narrative. For Grant, the idea of being an overlooked underdog may define him — one could argue that it has defined his lightweight campaign thus far. However, if he eventually gets a title fight against the winner of Pettis-Aldo, and if he gets it in his home country of Canada, he would have the opportunity to put himself on the map with a rags-to-riches story of his own. And honestly, when it comes to drawing power, that’s the best he can do right now in the eyes of fans.
No matter how you slice it, striking while the iron is hot is the way to go. The time is right, fans are jazzed for the fight, and the longer you wait, the more that momentum dissipates. Interest in those two men could converge into a buyrate that would exceed what either has achieved to this point, and create at least one (and potentially a second) superstar. To be honest, it’s a no-brainer. Anthony Pettis vs. Jose Aldo on Super Bowl Weekend could be the superfight the sport needs, and it should be made without hesitation.
For a counterpoint, check out: The UFC Should Not Rush To Create An Aldo-Pettis Superfight
