Duke Roufus: Stephen Thompson KO Was Anthony Pettis ‘At His Best’

Anthony Pettis certainly turned a lot of heads this past weekend at UFC Nashville. The former 155-pound champion jumped up to welterweight and knocked out two-time title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson. This was “Showtime’s” first fight at 170 pounds.

He ended the night with a spectacular superman punch, bouncing off the Octagon cage. Speaking to MMA Fighting, Pettis’ coach, Duke Roufus, said the performance was Pettis “at his best”:

“For sure. 99 percent of it,” Roufus said when asked if that finishing blow was just like they drew it up. “The last one percent was Anthony. He followed the game plan, we prepared together very well, but that was Anthony being Anthony at his best.

“He’s great at audibling and when he feels good and when he’s in the moment, he’s so dangerous. That was a surprise attack and he landed it and it was brilliant.”

Pettis is one of the most dynamic strikers the UFC has to offer. Anytime Pettis is matched up against a fellow stand-up artist like himself, it’s sure to be a fun fight. Saturday night was no exception. Roufus said Pettis is so dangerous, he can turn the tide of a fight at any time:

“I think it can happen anytime with Anthony,” Roufus said. “Him and I have such a great relationship. He does what he does and I do what I do. I have a motto I live by, ‘Work for what you need. Pray for what you want.’

“Anthony makes the magic happen, I do the boring stuff, the fundamentals, the game plan. That’s why we work well. Like Phil Jackson and Michael Jordan.”