Do you all remember that time in Anthony Pettis’ career where he knocked out a guy with a punch and not kicks? Yeah me neither. But I’ll sure never forget his transition to 170 lbs when he knocked out the highest profile striker he’s ever fought with a single superman punch, (followed by some ground and pound).
Despite losing the first round and four and a half minutes of the second round, Pettis threw a seemingly wild punch putting Stephen Thompson down fast. It did appear as though Thompson was done immediately, but two follow up punches from “Showtime” sealed the deal.
The bout began as anyone would expect. Pettis threw a few strikes, but Thompson was in full control. With his jabs and sidekicks, he kept the former lightweight king at a distance, not allowing him to take control. Pettis, throughout his career, has shown the most danger from the mid-range. He did drop Tony Ferguson up close, but the vast majority of his success came from his kicking range.
“Wonderboy” was well prepared for the style. He used his reach to stay outside of Pettis’ kicking range and then closed in as best he could with combinations. Many of his strikes were blocked, but he was landing and managed to bust Pettis’ nose up drawing blood.
It was looking like everyone was right. Showtime was showing his heart, throwing and landing punches while also digging in some hard leg kicks. He was keeping Thompson on his toes and making him work for it, but everyone watching thought they were seeing the familiar recipe of Thompson’s fights. The bigger and more technical man was in control. He was more aggressive than his previous fights and he was looking for a finish.
Which was probably his downfall. Thompson on more than one occasion threw the side body kick, the one that dropped Jorge Masvidal, backing Pettis up, but with only seconds left in round two Showtime absorbed another kick and immediately threw a superman punch before Thompson could get his guard back up, dropping the former title challenger. After the two likely unnecessary follow-up punches, Pettis became the first man to KO the former undefeated kickboxer and third-ranked UFC welterweight.
At first, it looked like a freak haymaker, but on the slow-motion replay, it was clear Pettis was prepared. Thompson was certainly taking over the fight, but Pettis was watching the patterns. He was noticing the tendencies of his opponent. When Thompson was too close, often times he’d throw the side kick to push his opponents away. After almost two full rounds of experiencing the kick, he was able to come with a response. He shifted to the side, allowing the kick to glance off his body, closing the range between him and Thompson. And from there he unleashed a lightning-quick superman punch to the unsuspecting Karate champion.
It was the ultimate checkmate against the chess master. The fight wasn’t a back and forth battle of techniques but the winner showcased the perfect move in the perfect moment. Many questions about Showtime’s move to welterweight are still up in the air, but one thing is for sure. His punches are a hell of a lot more powerful.
This win puts Pettis up at the top of a seemingly unpredictable welterweight division. Tyron Woodley and Ben Askren are both his teammates and likely will not fight him. This leaves him with Leon Edwards, Jorge Masvidal, and Santiago Ponzinibbio as potential opponents. Any one of those guys would be a wonderful matchup for possibly the best Anthony Pettis we’ve ever seen.
He’s open to returning to lightweight but prefers staying clean and fresh at 170. There are exciting matchups in both divisions, but after Saturday, it’s hard to say just yet that thone-off one off. He’s never hit harder than he did. In his lightweight bouts he’s been accused of getting overwhelmed and caving. Saturday, he was as overwhelmed as he’s ever been and remained calm and composed preparing for the perfect counter.
He was always threatening, always dangerous, and stayed clear headed en route to a masterful finish. Maybe it was just a better matchup than many of us thought, but it seems 170 is where he should stay. And with a chaotic division that seems to produce nothing but upsets lately, a new contender just adds to the chaos. And when has chaos ever not been fun for the rest of us?
The post Anthony Pettis Remains Calm And Upsets Stephen Thompson With Second Round KO appeared first on The Runner Sports.