Anthony Pettis faced a stiff test in his UFC welterweight debut.
Pettis, the former UFC lightweight champion, took on two-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 6 in Nashville, and came in as a sizable betting underdog.
In a matchup of karate vs. taekwondo, the two exchanged kicks early. Pettis stalked Thompson down and threw body kicks and leg kicks on Thompson’s heavy front leg early, while Thompson exploded with flurries, managing to bloody Pettis’ nose early.
In Round 2, Thompson continued to mix it up with the kicks, peppering Pettis with the jab. Pettis continued to punish that lead leg on the counter but was starting to take quite a bit of damage on his nose. Then, after the 10-second clap toward the end of the round, Pettis capitalized on an opening, where while backed up against the cage, he was able to deliver a picture-perfect Superman punch, knocking Thompson out cold.
“Showtime” lived up to his moniker in typical highlight-reel fashion, handing “Wonderboy” his first knockout loss.
Pettis returns to lightweight this Saturday at UFC 246 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, when he opens up the main card in a bout against Carlos Diego Ferreira. While you wait for the days to wind down to UFC 246, you can whet your appetite by clicking on the video linked above.
