For the first time in nearly two decades, the UFC is going back to Bridgestone Arena at 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 in the win column for the first time since November 2017 and is a -380 favorite to accomplish this, while Pettis is competing in welterweight for the first time in 11 years and is now a +290 underdog. I have a breakdown and pick for each fight on the primary card.
Shark Bites
Stephen Thompson only absorbs 2.51 significant strikes per minute.
Stephen Thompson hasn’t lost back-to-back conflicts.
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, such as a draw and a loss against Tyron Woodley in his two efforts to get the welterweight strap and a unanimous-decision defeat to Darren Till last May. Prior to this new rough patch, Wonderboy had gone 13-1, including victories 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 point fighting rather than going all out to the knockout. That being said, if you pressure him, he has the power to put one to sleep because seven of his 14 professional wins have come by T/KO, though he hasn’t earned a success in that way since 2016. Thompson fights long and is very fast, picking his enemies apart when in kicking range.
Pettis (+290) was on a win-one, lose-one streak over his last seven fights and most recently lost to Tony Ferguson in UFC 229 when he broke his hand in the second round. Showtime is competing in the welterweight division for the first time beneath the UFC banner, having only 1 bout at the weight class back in 2008, when he made a first-round knockout over Gabe Walbridge.
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