Eddie Alvarez knew he had the blueprint to beat Anthony Pettis. It was just a matter of implementing it.
Alvarez outwrestled and out-pressured Pettis to capture a hard fought split decision over the former lightweight champion at UFC Fight Night 81. While the fight itself didn't provide the type of fireworks many expected, it got the job done, as Alvarez pushed his name to the forefront of title conversation by picking up the biggest win of his UFC career.
"I'm my biggest critic, before anyone," Alvarez said at Sunday night's post-fight press conference.