Eddie Alvarez (27-4) won the biggest fight of his UFC career at UFC Fight Night 81 earlier tonight (Sun., Jan. 17, 2016) inside TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
The former Bellator Lightweight champion defeated the former UFC 155-pound champion, Anthony Pettis (18-4) by split decision. Two judges scored it 29-28 for Alvarez, with the third judge giving a 29-28 to Pettis.
Alvarez used an excellent game plan and went with his wrestling against Pettis, landing six takedowns throughout the bout, which proved to be the difference.
In the opening round, Alvarez scored an early takedown on Pettis, but "Showtime" popped back up to his feet.