Before heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic take center stage at UFC 241, Anthony Pettis and Nate Diaz will compete in a 170-pound showdown which has many MMA fans excited.
UFC 241 takes place Aug. 17 at Honda Center with a main card that airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
It’s no secret Diaz (19-11 MMA, 14-9 UFC) is selective about his opponents. Since Aug. 2016, Diaz has only been scheduled to fight once – against Dustin Poirier in a bout that fell through. So, when Pettis (22-8 MMA, 9-7 UFC) debuted at welterweight and brutally knocked out former title challenger Stephen Thompson, it must have caught Diaz’s eye.
Who could blame him?
The UFC on ESPN+ 6 knockout was a result of a superman punch, which snapped Thompson’s head back with less than a minute left in the second round. Despite two more follow up shots, “Wonderboy” appeared out after the initial punch. The victory was impressive enough for Diaz to sign on the dotted line.
Before Pettis and Diaz step into the cage at UFC 241, relive “Showtime’s” superman punch knockout of Thompson in the video about.
The UFC 241 lineup includes:
- Champ Daniel Cormier vs. Stipe Miocic – for heavyweight title
- Nate Diaz vs. Anthony Pettis
- Paulo Costa vs. Yoel Romero
- Raphael Assuncao vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Derek Brunson vs. Ian Heinisch
- Christos Giagos vs. Drakkar Klose
- Manny Bermudez vs. Casey Kenney
- Hannah Cifers vs. Jodie Esquibel
- Brandon Davis vs. Kyung Ho Kang
- Gabriel Benitez vs. Sodiq Yusuff
- Clay Collard vs. Devonte Smith
- Shana Dobson vs. Sabina Mazo
