Anthony Pettis admits he wasn’t sure the UFC would grant him a chance to fight Stephen Thompson but figured he might as well give it a go.

“Man, I just posted it on Instagram,” Pettis told MMAjunkie. “I didn’t even say anything. I just threw it out there on Instagram, and I was like, ‘Let me see what happens.’ The buzz was good, and he responded, and it came up, so I was like, ‘Let’s do it.'”

“Showtime” Pettis (21-8 UFC, 8-7 UFC) and “Wonderboy” Thompson now meet in the welterweight main event of next month’s UFC on ESPN+ 6 event, which takes place March 23 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. The night’s full card streams live on ESPN+.

Pettis, a former UFC and WEC lightweight champ who also tried his luck briefly at 145 pounds, said he had some options in the lightweight division. But after suffering a TKO loss to Tony Ferguson in October when a broken hand forced him out of the bout, Pettis said he was looking for something a little more exciting than what was on the table.

“Coming off the Ferguson fight, you know I had a great performance,” Pettis said. “Again, bad luck in my fight – broke my hand. I was in a frustrating spot. I was just so close to having a good performance in that fight. I had to let the hand heal. I did that. I was going back to the drawing board to figure out what was next. The names that I was offered, they were interesting, to be honest. I wanted somebody that’s going to keep me in the mix.

“I was exploring some options, seeing who else was available, and obviously ‘Wonderboy’ was looking for a fight for a long time. Just the stylistic matchup between me and ‘Wonderboy’ is why I chose him. I feel like that’s a legacy fight for me – one of these fights that can define my career. A win over a welterweight – No. 4 welterweight – never fighting at welterweight and going to fight No. 4 in the world, that’s something that makes me excited. That makes an interesting fight.”

It’s a fight Pettis feels he’s intimately familiar with, as well. While “Showtime” is used to breaking down the gameplans of his fellow lightweights, he actually mimicked Thompson to help his Roufusport teammate and UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley prep for a pair of matchups with “Wonderboy.”

“We’ve definitely watched his film for a long time,” Pettis said. “He fought Woodley twice. Woodley trains with Duke Roufus, so we have a lot of info on his abilities, his skills, and I just thought I matched up well with him.

“Everybody counted me out, like, ‘Oh, he’s too small to go to welterweight.’ This fight isn’t about size. It’s about skill. He’s not a wrestler. He’s not going to try holding me down. I don’t think he wants to take me down. My jiu-jitsu is too much for him, so that leaves us for a striking match. I’ve got to be very technical and right on my gameplan, and I should be able to take this fight.”

A win would prove big on many levels, but Pettis said that perhaps most important to him is a chance to prove he can compete in the division. At 32, Pettis believes he’s at an age where he can no longer afford to be patient. He wants the chance to fight as frequently as possible, and opening up a new division would prove incredible beneficial.

“It’s definitely not a one-off,” Pettis said. “This is just me trying out that division. I’ve been inactive in my career. This is a point where I want to be active. I don’t want to sit around and wait for the right fight at 155. If a 170 opportunity presents itself, I’ll find out right now if that’s what I want to do.”

Pettis believes the fight will be a standup affair, especially since his grappling could prove problematic for the karate master. But more than anything, Pettis simply wants to keep booking marquee fights, and he knows a win over “Wonderboy” will earn him another big name.

“I want big fights,” Pettis said. “I want (Jose) Aldo. I want everybody that I should have fought a long time ago. I’m not waiting for anything this year. I’m just going out and having fun.

“I’m getting these wins. Last time I had a great time, but I didn’t get the win. This one here, I’m focused on the win. I need this win, and it needs to be impressive. Against a guy like ‘Wonderboy,’ it’s already impressive.”

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