Four Takeaways From Gamebred Boxing 4 Featuring Pettis, Aldo

MMA star Anthony Pettis (left) and boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. (right).
Colin Crandall/Twitter

KEY POINTS

Anthony Pettis beat Roy Jones Jr. by majority decision in his pro boxing debut
Vitor Belfort cruised to victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza
Jose Aldo had a lot of words for his draw against Jeremy Stephens and his future with Conor McGregor

Jorge Masvidal may be more known by combat sports fans for his exploits against another fighter inside the UFC cage, but he has certainly struck gold once again as a boxing promoter with Gamebred Boxing 4 this past Saturday, April 1.

Below are a few takeaways and the full results from the event.

Anthony Pettis Stuns Roy Jones

Just like Masvidal, Anthony Pettis established his name in the fight game as a well-rounded striker inside the cage, but his latest assignment had him staring across the ring against boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. in the main event of the night.

While Jones, 54, was able to land cleaner blows compared to Pettis, “Showtime” leaned in fully to his speed advantage as he traded punches with the former and was quick to fire off combinations to keep Jones on his back foot.

After eight rounds of boxing, Pettis was declared the winner by majority decision off his high work rate coupled with his aggression to stave off Jones from adding a 67th win to his already stellar resume.

Vitor Belfort Conquers ‘Jacare’

Joining Pettis on the Gamebred Boxing 4 fight card are former UFC stars Vitor Belfort and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in an eight-round bout of their own.

Belfort and Souza were two of the most feared strikers at the height of their powers during their mixed martial arts (MMA) career and both men were keen to prove their dominance over the other in the boxing ring.

Souza sought to stay in step with Belfort throughout the three-round affair, but it was clear that Belfort was just at a level of his own as he rang Souza’s bell in the first round with big hooks before knocking him down in the third round.

However, Belfort was on the receiving end of some big shots from his fellow Brazilian striker thanks to him focusing on body shots after he slowed down the bout to his pace while Belfort’s gas tank was put into question late in the fight.

When it was all said and done, Souza was in a hole that was too deep to overcome as the judges had Belfort winning it by unanimous decision.

Majority Draw

Former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo was also at the event as a competitor with fellow UFC alum Jeremy Stephens in a rematch of a bout that saw him take home the win in 2018.

After a hard-hitting matchup throughout six rounds, judges did not see a clear winner between the two as a majority draw was declared with an incensed Aldo addressing the outcome in the post-fight interview.

“Jeremy’s [Stephens] a tough guy. I’m very prepared for this fight…, but I think I did so much to win this fight. I’ve been blocking most of his punches and when I stayed in my corner, all they said was ‘you won the fight’. But I really don’t understand that [outcome],” Aldo said through an interpreter.

It would not be the only headline-making moment from him.

Jose Aldo’s Expletive-Laden Response To Conor McGregor

“Conor [McGregor] has a big mouth. He always talks a lot of [expletive]. He has a scheduled fight. He’s a [expletive]. Conor, shut your [expletive] mouth. We were supposed to fight before in the UFC. You run, and now you still talk [expletive].”

Such were the words of Aldo in the post-fight press conference after Conor McGregor tweeted out that he wanted to share the ring with Aldo in a boxing match.

It remains to be seen whether Masvidal and the UFC can come to an agreement and make such a bout happen in the near future.