UFC Nashville: What does stunning KO win mean for Anthony Pettis’ future at welterweight?

E. Spencer Kyte

UFC Nashville: What does stunning KO win mean for Anthony Pettis’ future at welterweight? image

The Octagon returned to “Music City USA” on Saturday night with a 12-fight card featuring a collection of intriguing matchups with emerging prospects and fringe contenders and capped by a fantasy matchmaking dream fight between Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson and Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.

After some strong performances on the prelims, punctuated by impressive first-round stoppage wins from Marlon Vera and Randa Markos, the action shifted to the main card and business picked up.

Here’s a look at what went down and what it means going forward.

Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson by KO (Superman punch) at 4:55 of Round 2

Good lord!

Throughout the first round, Thompson was piecing up Pettis — sticking him with that low-slung jab, busting up his nose and forcing the former lightweight champion to follow him around the cage, landing when he could, but ultimately settling for leg kicks and the occasional right hand.

It was more of the same to start the second, as Thompson kept working behind the jab, moving around and absorbing low kicks. But as the frame wore on, Pettis upped the output on his kicks and when Thompson backed him into the fence at the end of the round, “Showtime” flew forward, uncorking a Superman punch that landed flush to send “Wonderboy” crashing to the canvas in a heap.

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What it means: First and foremost, it means there is a new name to consider at welterweight and it is Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.

Not only did the former lightweight champ come in and knock out a two-time title challenger in his divisional debut in the UFC, but he did so after getting pieced up in the first and needing to manufacture an opening. This wasn’t two guys standing toe-to-toe, happily trading shots until one fell over — Pettis needed to find a way to get around Thompson’s defenses and land something fierce and he did just that.

Secondly, it should bring Pettis’ time at lightweight to an end because there is really no need to go back down there after a performance like this. He’s faced the vast majority of the top names in the division and the weight cut was getting more and more difficult, so while he said he’s still open to it, hopefully he reconsiders and just stays at welterweight.

Third, it puts Thompson in a real tough spot. After collecting seven straight wins to secure a title shot at UFC 205, the South Carolina native has gone 1-3-1 in his last five fights and just got slept for the first time in his career. Yes, he’s been facing elite talents, but he’s 36 now and has been competing for at least half of his life. You’ve only got so many rounds in you.

This was a perfect pairing that delivered a ton of excitement, while producing another shakeup in the welterweight ranks.

Curtis Blaydes def. Justin Willis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)

This was a mauling, plain and simple.

Blaydes absolutely dominated Willis was Jump Street, taking him down early in the first round and hitting him with a belly-to-back suplex when he tried to get to his feet. The second started with Blaydes wobbling Willis before once again scooping him up and planting him into the canvas. 

While he was a little more conservative early in the third, Blaydes eventually pressed forward for a takedown, backing “Big Pretty” into the fence and ultimately securing another takedown, which allowed him to ride out the end of the round and complete his shutout win Saturday night.

What it means: Sometimes you just need to affirm what you already know and further clarify the pecking order in a particular division and that’s what happened here.

Coming off a quick loss to Francis Ngannou back in November, this was a tremendous bounce-back performance for Blaydes, who controlled this one from start to finish and scored a couple 10-8 rounds on one card. It was a reminder that the Chicago native and Elevation Fight Team member is one of the top heavyweights in the UFC and that Willis has a lot of work to do before he can be considered a part of that class.

With things at the top of the division slowly starting to come together, this effort should end up securing Blaydes one of the three big names he asked for following this win — Junior dos Santos, Derrick Lewis or Stipe Miocic.

John Makdessi def. Jesús Pinedo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

The fans booed this one from start to finish and Makdessi didn’t get a post-fight interview, which should tell you everything you need to know about this point-fighting exhibition that didn’t feature many prolonged striking exchanges.

Makdessi did a good job of using outside leg kicks and the occasional right hand to keep Pinedo at bay, but you got the feeling that the Canadian veteran had opportunities to push the pace and take the fight to the youngster from Peru. Instead, Makdessi was content to score points and evade the single offers Pinedo sent his way.

What it means: This fight came together when each man lost his originally-scheduled opponent, so it’s pretty much status quo now that it’s over.

Makdessi is a tenured member of the lightweight division who is never going to climb much higher than he is right now because he’s too content to fight like this when he has opportunities to do more and hasn’t shown any reason to believe he’s capable of beating the best the loaded weight class has to offer.

Pinedo is young and should get another look, but outside of some flurries late in the second and third, he did very little and needs a much better showing next time out in order to gain some traction.

Jussier Formiga def. Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Formiga is the lone tenured flyweight who never managed to secure a championship bout with Demetrious Johnson, while “Mighty Mouse” ruled the division. Saturday night, he moved one step closer to challenging new champ Henry Cejudo by collecting a solid decision win over the previously-unbeaten Figueiredo.

Across three rounds, Formiga stuck to the game plan and used his wrestling and suffocating top game to nullify Figueiredo’s powerful striking and keep him planted on the canvas. While he suffered a cut on his forehead from an elbow, there was no dissuading the veteran grappler, who repeatedly closed the distance, put his countryman on the ground and advanced to dominant positions, while piling up control time.

What it means: Honestly, it’s really hard to say because no one knows for sure what is happening with the flyweight division.

Formiga called for a fight with Cejudo and was heralded as the top-ranked contender in the division, though I’m certain Joseph Benavidez would beg to differ. But if Formiga doesn’t get to face the champ, what else is there for him? A rematch with Benavidez, who stopped him in the first round several years ago?

This was an excellent performance and a reminder of how good Formiga is overall. There is no flash and no flare — just technical smarts and all kinds of polish. He’s one of the best flyweights on the planet, but right now, I’m not sure how much weight that carries.

Luis Pena def. Steve Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

People have taken to Pena following his time on "The Ultimate Fighter," but after missing weight for this one, there were questions about how “Violent Bob Ross” would perform in his featherweight debut against the tough, durable Fortis MMA product Peterson.

Where the fight was contested dictated who was in control, as Pena dominated the action in space, using his length to pick apart Peterson and hurting him multiple times. But when they got close to each other, “Ocho” was able to find some success by tying Pena up and taking him to the canvas.

Over the three five-minute rounds, Pena was able to do more than enough to distance himself from Peterson and secure a clean sweep of the scorecards.

What it means: The performance is a little tainted because he missed weight, but overall, this was a solid starting point for Pena in his featherweight journey and should serve as the foundation for how he fights going forward.

Pena has incredible size and length and when he uses them, he can be dangerous. He’s still raw, he still has a lot to learn, but the potential is there for him to become a problem for people in the 145-pound ranks going forward because he’s just so difficult to prepare for physically.

As he continues to work with Daniel Cormier and the crew at AKA Gilroy, the 25-year-old should continue to shore up some of those deficiencies, build upon his strengths and continue making progress up the divisional ladder.

Maycee Barber def. JJ Aldrich by TKO (punches) at 3:01 of Round 2

There has been a great deal of hype behind Barber from the start of her career and it has only ramped up since “The Future” turned in a stunning effort on the Contender Series before following it up with a second-round stoppage win over Hannah Cifers in her UFC debut in November.

Paired off against the surging TUF alum, Aldrich, who entered on a three-fight winning streak, this was viewed as a serious test for the talented prospect. Early on, Aldrich dropped Barber with a clean left hand and dominated the action, effectively picking her shots and landing clean, keeping the 20-year-old moving backwards and looking poised to slow Barber’s rapid ascension.

But after making some adjustments between rounds and landing a few solid shots early in the second, Barber started moving forward more, content to take a few shots in order to land a few of her own. That put pressure on Aldrich. As the two exchanged punches in the center of the cage, Barber uncorked a left hand that landed flush and had Aldrich backing up.

Seeing she had Aldrich hurt, Barber pressed forward, picking her spots, forcing her way out of the clinch and putting her more seasoned foe away with a series of unanswered strikes along the fence.

What it means: This was a huge win and a tremendous performance from Barber, who had to endure some adversity for the first time in her career. Not only did she deal with getting dropped, but she made adjustments between rounds, listened to her corner and rallied to get the finish before the next five minutes were up.

There are elements of Barber’s game that still need work — her striking defense clearly has some holes in it — but those are things you can improve with training, experience and repetition. What you can’t learn is the toughness and resilience she exhibited by getting right back to her feet, hanging tough and ultimately chasing down a finish against a very good fighter in Aldrich.

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And she’s only 20-years-old.

Barber has made a lot of bold proclamations about what she wants to accomplish and that means there is a great deal of attention and pressure on the unbeaten upstart. Thus far, she’s handled it all with aplomb and proven to be the genuine article.

UFC Nashville Results

Main card

Anthony Pettis def. Stephen Thompson by KO (Superman punch) at 4:55 of Round 2
Curtis Blaydes def. Justin Willis by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)
John Makdessi def. Jesús Pinedo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Jussier Formiga def. Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Luis Pena def. Steve Peterson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Maycee Barber def. JJ Aldrich by TKO (punches) at 3:01 of Round 2

Prelims

Bryce Mitchell def. Bobby Moffett by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Marlon Vera def. Frankie Saenz by TKO (punches) at 1:25 of Round 1
Jennifer Maia def. Alexis Davis by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Randa Markos def. Angela Hill by submission (armbar) at 4:24 of Round 1
Chris Gutierrez def. Ryan MacDonald by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jordan Espinosa def. Eric Shelton by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

E. Spencer Kyte