A fight between UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis and featherweight champion Jose Aldo has been rumored for quite some time now.
In fact, there was a time when it was more than a rumor. Pettis was scheduled to face Aldo at UFC 163 last August, but an injury forced him to withdraw from the fight. The injury would not keep him on the shelf for long, however, and Pettis would return at UFC 164 to wrest control of the lightweight title away from Benson Henderson.
Then, after Aldo defeated Ricardo Lamas in February, the featherweight king expressed an interest once again in facing Pettis during the post-fight press conference. Pettis responded to the challenge by texting Dana White, and it appeared the fight was on.
Things happened as they usually do, however. Aldo was hesitant to give up his belt for a permanent move to 155 pounds, and Pettis ended up being booked into an Ultimate Fighter coaching role and an eventual fight against top lightweight challenger Gilbert Melendez.
Pettis vs. Aldo is off the books, but that hasn't stopped Pettis from repeating his desire to someday face Aldo. For the featherweight champ, it's getting to be just a little bit grating. According to MMA Junkie's John Morgan, here's what Aldo said in Brazil this week:
Anthony Pettis talks a lot. He goes to the media and says that he’ll fight me in any division, but then he knows that Dana is not going to have him move down a weight because they want me to give up my belt.
One can understand the UFC's position on things here. Aldo has essentially cleaned out the featherweight division; from this point forward, the only fights truly remaining for him are rematches (Chad Mendes, Cub Swanson, etc). By dropping his title and moving up to lightweight, Aldo opens himself up to a slew of interesting fights against brand-new opponents, not the least of which is the champion himself.
But for now, it appears a bout between Pettis and Aldo will remain a pipe dream, at least until one of them talks just a little too much and makes the other mad enough to do something about it.
