ADD THE NAME of Anthony Pettis to the UFC’s growing list of welterweight contenders.
Competing in the 170-pound division for the first time since he debuted for the organisation in 2011, Pettis (22-8) made a big statement by knocking out former title challenger Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson (14-4-1) in last night’s main event in Nashville.
With just five seconds remaining in the second round, referee Herb Dean intervened to call a halt to the contest after Pettis landed a spectacular ‘Superman’ hook that sent Thompson crashing to the canvas.
In a battle of two highly-skilled strikers, Thompson had been enjoying the better of the contest until Pettis conjured something special to pull off what could be a hugely significant victory.
Having lost six of his previous nine bouts, Pettis has struggled to build momentum since relinquishing his lightweight title to Rafael dos Anjos in March 2015.
However, this result could now act as a launchpad for the 32-year-old to mount a title bid in a division where Kamaru Usman replaced Tyron Woodley as champion earlier this month.
UFC Fight Night 148 results
- Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson via KO (punches) after 4:55 of round two
- Curtis Blaydes def. Justin Willis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
- John Makdessi def. Jesús Pinedo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Jussier Formiga def. Deiveson Figueiredo via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Luis Peña def. Steven Peterson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Maycee Barber def. JJ Aldrich via TKO (knee and punches) after 3:01 of round two
- Bryce Mitchell def. Bobby Moffett via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marlon Vera def. Frankie Saenz via TKO (punches) after 1:25 of round one
- Jennifer Maia def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Randa Markos def. Angela Hill via submission (armbar) after 4:24 of round one
- Chris Gutierrez def. Ryan MacDonald via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Jordan Espinosa def. Eric Shelton via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
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