Not long after Anthony Pettis floated the idea of him fighting Stephen Thompson next, it’s being reported that the fight is all but finalized.
Pettis recently reached out to fans via social media and asked if they’d be interested in seeing him move up to 170 for a bout with Thompson. “Wonderboy” heard of the proposal and let it be known that he would be happy to welcome Pettis to the welterweight division.
Well, now ESPN’s Ariel Helwani is reporting that Thompson and Pettis have verbally agreed to fight at the UFC’s March 23rd card in Nashville. As this is being written, the bout isn’t officially signed, but that’s expected to happen soon.
The former lightweight champ Pettis is coming off a stoppage loss (corner stoppage) to Tony Ferguson in October. Thompson, meanwhile, hasn’t competed since last May when he lost via decision to Darren Till.
So, it will be interesting to see how Pettis looks at 170 and if he can defeat a top contender like Thompson right out of the welterweight gate.