Anthony Pettis Seeks to Prove “Weight Doesn’t Matter” at UFC Nashville

Anthony Pettis will be making his welterweight debut in two days at UFC Nashville, and he will do so on his own terms.

The former UFC lightweight champion does not believe weight will be a factor in his fight against Stephen Thompson. And while many have responded with astonishment the moment this fight was booked, Anthony Pettis had a completely different response when the option to fight Thompson was presented to him. It was Pettis who selected Thompson from the list of names offered, with a belief the fight would be a strong indicator for where his skills currently lie.

Skill-wise, Anthony Pettis believes that he and Stephen Thompson will make for a compatible and exciting opponent, with both fighters bringing their own martial arts backgrounds to what is expected to be a striking chess match:

“Karate vs. taekwondo guy,” Pettis said. “I’ve done taekwondo my whole life. I know Wonderboy comes from the karate background, but we both adopted our martial arts background to fit in the Octagon. His fighting style’s beautiful. He’s a hard puzzle to figure out.”

It is, after all, the skill that is the story of this fight, Anthony Pettis insists, not the weight:

“I’m going to show the world that weight doesn’t matter,” he said. “It’s all about skills. I have the skill set to beat this guy, whether it goes to the ground, whether it’s standing, I’m looking for the finish, and I’m gonna go out there and just swing for the fences.”