As far as promising bouts go, this lightweight showdown pitting former WEC champion Anthony Pettis against the hard-hitting Jeremy Stephens has “Fight of the Night” written all over it.
The two men will meet this Saturday, as they will be featured on the Spike broadcast for the UFC 136 preliminary special.
The event takes place at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, and will be headlined by dual title matches, pitting champions Frankie Edgar and Jose Aldo defending their titles against Gray Maynard and Kenny Florian, respectively.
While most of the focus leading into this Saturday rests heavy on the shoulders of the championship bouts, Pettis and Stephens are poised to steal some of that attention.
In the now defunct WEC promotion, Pettis shined in performances against UFC talent Alex Karalexis, Danny Castillo and Ben Henderson. Both Pettis and “Bendo” battled it out over a classic five-round affair in the promotion’s final event at WEC 53 last December.
There, Pettis solidified his legacy as an always exciting talent, by wall walking the cage and delivering a devastating kick off the cage, which knocked Henderson to the mat, sealing the deal on the decision victory which earned “Showtime” the respect amongst his peers and the 155-pound title all in one swoop.
Stephens, meanwhile, has been making plenty of noise of his own inside the Octagon. Debuting in the organization in May of 2007, “Lil’ Heathen” has not failed to disappoint.
He owns three “Knockout of the Night” awards, which came courtesy of devastating finishes over the likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Justin Buchholz and former contender Marcus Davis.
Both men have a penchant for crowd pleasing performances and have not failed to deliver since.
Pettis is in need an impressive victory here especially, as he was stifled for three-rounds of a classic example of “lay and pray” when contender Clay Guida hold the dangerous Pettis to the mat for three-rounds, taking home a very safe decision win.
If Pettis wishes to reach title contention sooner rather than later, he will need to show his best against Stephens, who always seems to rise to the occasion?
So, will Pettis and Stephens steal the show? If any one bout can out due two epic title bouts, it will be these two lightweight notables.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com