(Editor’s note: This story originally published on March 22.)
After an eventful trip to London this past weekend, the UFC is back in the States for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 6 fight card, which takes place in Nashville.
In the main event, former two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson welcomes former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis to the 170-pound division. And judging from Pettis’ demeanor during his pre-fight interviews, he feels like a different fighter and is looking forward to testing himself in the upper division.
In the co-main event, Curtis Blaydes looks to hold onto his top-10 ranking in the heavyweight division against Justin Willis, who is looking to break into the top 15.
UFC on ESPN+ 6 takes place at Bridgestone Arena. The event streams entirely on ESPN+.
Here are seven burning questions about the fight card.
Thompson has only one win in his past four fights, but the way he sees things, he’s not too far off from getting a third shot at the UFC welterweight title. Let Thompson, No. 5 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA welterweight rankings, explain his thinking.
“Having a new champion, I knew it was going to be better for my career,” Thompson told MMA Junkie. “Nobody wants to see Thompson vs. Woodley 3, and I kind of understood that. I would have to have two or three more fights before I even get that shot again. This, now that we’ve got a new champion, is going to be a faster way up.
“The division has changed dramatically since the last time I fought. Got a new champion, Darren Till got knocked out by a guy that I’ve already beat (Jorge Masvidal). It’s up in the air. I’m ranked No. 4 right now, so any one of us could be fighting for that title again.”
Thompson has a point, but the reality of the situation is that the UFC might be reluctant to give someone who’s already had two cracks at the title in the past two years another shot at gold so soon. That means Thompson likely will need a string of impressive victories before he is booked for another title fight. He gets his first opportunity to make his case against Pettis in Nashville.
