Eddie Alvarez and Anthony Pettis might not have put on the fight that most were expecting, but the man who had his hand raised in the end didn’t think the contest was as close as the final tally reflected.
Alvarez defeated Pettis via split decision in the UFC Fight Night Boston co-headliner on Sunday night, adopting a conservative, grinding approach that saw him take the Roufusport product down six times and consistently stall the action against the fence. It wasn’t necessarily cosmetically pleasing, but it was effective in limiting offensive opportunities for the flashy Pettis.