For the first time in nearly two years, the UFC is heading back into Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The card will be headlined with a conflict in the welterweight division as Stephen”Wonderboy” Thompson stands toe to toe with Anthony”Showtime” Pettis. Thompson is seeking to get back into the win column for the first time since November 2017 and is a -380 preferred to do so, while Pettis is competing at welterweight for the first time in 11 years and is now a +290 underdog. I’ve a breakdown and select for each fight on the main card.
Shark Bites
Stephen Thompson only absorbs 2.51 significant strikes per minute.
Stephen Thompson hasn’t dropped fights.
Anthony Pettis is 3-6 in his last nine fights.
Stephen Thompson vs Anthony Pettis
Thompson (-380) is about the worst stretch of his career, heading 1-2-1 in his past four fights, including a draw and a loss against Tyron Woodley in his two attempts to get the welterweight strap plus also a unanimous-decision defeat to Darren Till last May. Prior to this recent rough patch, Wonderboy had gone 13-1, including successes over now-middleweight champion Robert Whittaker and current Bellator welterweight champ Rory MacDonald.
The 36-year-old is a kickboxer who places an emphasis on stage fighting rather than going all out to the knockout. That having been said, if you pressure him, he has the capability to put one to sleep as seven of his 14 professional wins have come by T/KO, though he has not earned a success in that manner since 2016. Thompson struggles long and is extremely fast, picking his opponents apart when in kicking range.
Pettis (+290) has been on a win-one, lose-one series on his last seven fights and most recently lost to Tony Ferguson at UFC 229 when he broke his hand in the next round. Showtime is competing at the welterweight division for the first time beneath the UFC bannerhaving only 1 bout at the weight class back in 2008, when he earned a first-round knockout over Gabe Walbridge.
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