Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis made a big statement last night (Sat., Mar. 23, 2019) at UFC on ESPN+ 6 live on ESPN+ from inside Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, when he put a stop to former welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson via second-round knockout (superman punch).
Pettis tucked his chin early and bulled forward in effort to close the gap with Thompson on the feet. “Wonderboy” still managed to bounce his way around for sticking body kicks and quick combinations as Pettis struggled to find his own offense.
The beginning of the second round produced much of the same before “Showtime” started to find some success with whipping leg kicks. Thompson pushed through it, though, and took back control. That was until the final moments of the round when Pettis brought back the old “Showtime” with a superman hook that caught Thompson on the chin and instantly put him out.
Check out the finish above courtesy of UFC/ESPN.
With this performance, Pettis makes good on his UFC welterweight debut and gets back a lot of momentum entering the second quarter of 2019. “Showtime” had to eat some damage to land his finishing blow last night but nonetheless looked good without a dragging weight cut. Whether he stays at 170 pounds or takes some fun fights at lightweight, it seems like “Showtime” has returned for another run.
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