UFC Nashville won't go down in the books as an all-time barnburner of a show, but it ended with a memorable moment.
After a declining career at 155 pounds, and a failed run at 145 pounds, Anthony "Showtime" Pettis got back on the right track by knocking out #3 Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson. After two rounds of Wonderboy finding his range, Pettis countered off the cage with a Superman hook. Pettis claimed after the fight that he wasn't finished at lightweight, but had a few names -- including Rafael dos Anjos -- that he wanted to take on in the welterweight division.
Showtime Superman Punch?@ShowtimePettis finishes Thompson in round 2! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/m5D7PkvyHm
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Thompson and Pettis weren't the only ranked stars in action. #4 Curtis Blaydes made #10 Justin Willis look like an unranked rookie. Willis landed one strike through two rounds, was dropped and quite frankly manhandled. After the fight, a still emotional Blaydes trash talked Willis and mentioned Junior dos Santos, Derrick Lewis and others as potential opponents.
Straight right from Blaydes stumbles Willis in round 2! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/nsP9BiGG0v
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Jussier Formiga retained his #1 ranking and derailed the hype train of #4 Deiveson Figueiredo. Formiga controlled his opponent on his way to a unanimous decision win, and called out UFC Flyweight Champion Henry Cejudo after the bout.
Formiga gets mount and lands a nasty elbow to end the round! #UFCNashville pic.twitter.com/8nYcZ89scF
— UFC (@ufc) March 24, 2019
Jennifer Maia walked away with a win over #5 Alexis Davis, but not without controversy, as it was as close as a unanimous decision can get. Maia was able to make a nice impression early with vicious combos that helped her land her first UFC win.
If you didn't check the UFC rankings regularly, you may not have even known that #14 Jordan Espinosa beating #12 Eric Shelton via unanimous decision was a top-15 ranked fight. By process of elimination, Espinosa presumably lives to fight another day in the dwindling 125 pound division.,
You can see our full coverage of UFC Nashville at this link.
