UPDATE: Sources have confirmed to MMA News that Stephen Thompson vs. Anthony Pettis is indeed the plan for UFC Nashville.
A welterweight clash between Stephen Thompson and Anthony Pettis is being reported.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was told by sources that Thompson vs. Pettis hasn’t been signed, but is expected to be finalized for an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event in Nashville, Tennessee. This event hasn’t been announced, but fans got to see plans for the card drawn on a whiteboard during Anthony Smith’s interview on Helwani’s show.
Setting The Stage For Thompson vs Pettis
It was Pettis who ignited talks of a potential clash with “Wonderboy.” Pettis asked fans if they wanted to see him move up to the welterweight division to take on Thompson. It didn’t take long for Thompson to accept “Showtime’s” challenge.
Thompson hasn’t had a great deal of luck finding opponents. His last outing was against Darren Till back in May 2018. “Wonderboy” lost that bout via controversial unanimous decision. He was thought to have been Robbie Lawler’s next opponent, but Ben Askren ended up scooping the match-up. Thompson then said that Santiago Ponzinibbio turned down a fight with him.
Meanwhile, Pettis is coming off a TKO loss to Tony Ferguson is one of the best fights of 2018. “Showtime” is looking to rebound, and he’d do so in a big way if he can defeat a two-time welterweight title challenger.
What do you make of this match-up? Do you think Anthony Pettis can pull off a huge win?
