With a thunderous punch, Anthony Pettis made a name for himself in the UFC’s welterweight division Saturday night.
Pettis, a former lightweight champion and featherweight title challenger, knocked Stephen Thompson out in the main event of UFC Fight Night 148. The card streamed live on ESPN+ from Nashville.
Also an ex-WEC champion, “Showtime” delivered as the second round dialed down, skipping off the cage and connecting with a shot that floored Thompson. After a few punches on the ground, the referee stepped in, stopping the contest at the 4:55 mark.
In the co-main event, Curtis Blaydes got back on track from a November loss to Francis Ngannou by besting Justin Willis. The win moved Blaydes’ record to 11-2 overall with a no-contest.
John Makdessi, Jussier Formiga and Luis Pena all earned decisions, with Maycee Barber stopping JJ Aldrich. Formiga took a giant step towards competing for the UFC flyweight title with his win over the previously-unbeaten Deiveson Figueiredo.
On the prelims, Bryce Mitchll, Marlon Vera, Jennifer Maia, Randa Markos, Chris Gutierrez and Jordan Espinosa all had wins.
Complete results from UFC Fight Night 148 are below:
Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson via KO (Superman punch) at 4:55 of Round 2
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. JJ Aldrich via TKO (strikes) at 3:01 of Round 2
Bryce Mitchell def. Bobby Moffett via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marlon Vera def. Frankie Saeniz via TKO (strikes) at 1:25 of Round 1
Jennifer Maia def. Alexis Davis via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Randa Markos def. Angela Hill via submission (armbar) at 4:24 of Round 1
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)