UFC News: Antony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson in the works for an upcoming event

What's the story?

Ariel Helwani revealed earlier today on Twitter that Anthony Pettis vs. Stephen Thompson has been verbally agreed upon for a fight night scheduled for March 23rd.

In case you didn't know...

Showtime last entered the Octagon in a Lightweight title fight against Max Holloway in October 2018 at UFC 228. Pettis looked sharp in bits and pieces and even had Holloway reeling for a second until the champion upped the tempo in the second round.

The former UFC Lightweight Champion's corner threw in the towel at the end of round two after he suffered a broken hand and Holloway was awarded a TKO win via referee stoppage. Pettis' last victory was against Michael Chiesa at UFC 226 in July 2018.

As for Wonderboy, Thompson's most recent fight ended in a unanimous decision loss to Darren Till at UFC Fight Night 130 in Liverpool, England. Thompson's last win came against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 217 which went the distance.

The heart of the matter

Pettis got the ball rolling recently when he called out Wonderboy for a fight and the UFC seems to have liked the potentially explosive pairing. As per Helwani, the fight is almost finalized for the Fight Night offering that is most likely scheduled to take place in Nashville on March 23rd later this year.

The fight, which is expected to be confirmed soon, will be reportedly happening at Welterweight.

Stephen Thompson vs. Anthony Pettis at 170 pounds is verbally agreed to for the March 23 fight night event, which is expected to be in Nashville. Fight isn’t signed just yet but expected to be finalized shortly. Story coming to ESPN in a bit.

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 15, 2019

What's the next?

Thompson and Pettis are considered to be amongst the most inventive strikers in MMA today, which makes the fight all the more exciting for the fans. Thompson is currently ranked #4 in the Welterweight division while Pettis stands at #8 in the stacked 155lbs division.

Both are coming off big losses and would be looking to get back into title contention with a big win. Pettis has not fought at 170 lbs since 2008 and it would be interesting to witness his camp preparations for an unfamiliar weight class.

Wonderboy vs. Showtime is a stand-up enthusiast's dream fight and deservedly so, is a perfect main event for any UFC Fight Night card.