Anthony Pettis made a triumphant debut at welterweight on Saturday, March 23 with a tremendous knockout of former title challenger Stephen Thompson in the main event of UFC on ESPN+6 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Late in the second round of the fight, Pettis found himself with his back to the cage when he unleashed a devastating superman punch to knock Thompson, who was the No. 4-ranked fighter in the 170-pound division, out cold. Thompson remained unconscious for a number of minutes before returning to his feet.
Leading up to the knockout, Thompson was controlling the fight with his range and had busted Pettis’ nose.
That quickly changed, however, when Pettis’ perfect shot earned him the honor of being the first opponent to ever knock out “Wonderboy” Thompson.
Here is the stunning knockout:
The full results from UFC on ESPN+ 6 event can be seen below.
UFC Nashville Results
Are you watching? #UFCNashville- Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 4:55
- Curtis Blaydes def. Justin Willis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
- John Makdessi def. Jesus 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 Pena def. Steven Peterson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Maycee Barber def. J.J. Aldrich via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:01
- Bryce Mitchell def. Bobby Moffett via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Marlon Vera def. Frankie Saenz via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:25
- Jennifer Maia def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Randa Markos def. Angela Hill via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 4:24
- 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)