The co-main event of UFC 241 features a welterweight battle between former lightweight standouts Nate Diaz and Anthony Pettis.

‘Showtime’ is coming off a spectacular knockout victory over Stephen Thompson in his welterweight debut at March’s UFC Nashville event.

The former WEC and UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis (22-8 MMA) has gone just 4-6 over his past ten Octagon appearances.

Meanwhile, Nate Diaz (19-11 MMA) will be returning to the cage for the first time since suffering a controversial majority decision loss to Conor McGregor in their rematch at UFC 202 in August of 2016.

The former lightweight title challenger, Diaz, has gone 6-4 over his past ten Octagon appearances overall.

Round one of the UFC 241 co-main event begins and Diaz comes forward early. Pettis with a low kick. Diaz trying to close the distance. Anthony scrambles free from the clinch. Diaz with a front kick to the body. Pettis answers with a right hand. ‘Showtime’ circles along the outside. Pettis tries to come in but eats a right hand behind the ear. He pushes Pettis against the cage and unloads some body shots. Pettis breaks free and fires off a right hand. Diaz with another front kick to the body. Pettis goes high with a kick. That just about connected. Nate Diaz moves into the pocket with a left hand. He forces the clinch and pushes Pettis against the cage. Nate with a nice right hand now. He is beginning to pick up the pace. Pettis continues to circles along the outside and look for counters. Nate Diaz shoots in and scores a takedown. Pettis looks to secure a guillotine choke but Diaz fights it off and breaks free. Nate working from full guard hare. Pettis looks to scramble and Diaz takes his back. He moves to full mount and lands a pair of shots. Pettis looks to scramble but Diaz jumps on his back. Ten seconds remain. Big body shots from Diaz. Round one comes to an end.

Round two of the UFC 241 co-main event begins and Pettis throws a kick and slips. Diaz forces him up against the cage but Pettis slips free. Nate misses with a big right. Pettis answers with a left hand. Anthony misses with a front kick but lands a right hand. He continues to chop away at Diaz with a low kicks. He should do more of that. Nate presses forward but fails to force the clinch. He lands a slap but Pettis counters with a nice right hand. Diaz stays on his feet and chases after Pettis. He forces the clinch along the cage. A good knee from Diaz. Pettis breaks free and lands a left. Diaz continues to stalk forward and attempts to take the back of Pettis. He lands a nice knee. Diaz drags Pettis to floor. ‘Showtime’ scrambles back up but eats a hard knee for his efforts. Good elbow now. Knees from Diaz. Pettis fires back with a right hand. Both men are trading shots wildly now. Nate Diaz with a flurry. He lands a big knee and then a right hand. Big body shots from Diaz now. ‘The Stockton Slugger’ is putting in work. He lands another solid knee. Anthony Pettis fires back with a right hand and then an elbow. Big shots now from Nate Diaz. He is putting it on Pettis. The horn sounds to end round two.

Round three of UFC 241 co-main event begins and Nate Diaz immediately forces the clinch. He begins peppering Pettis with shots. Anthony fires back with a right hand and then a low kick. Diaz with an uppercut. He follows that up with a front kick to the body of Pettis. The fighters clinch against the cage. Nate Diaz begins to throw punches in bunches. He switches to knees. Pettis is down. Ground and pound from Nate Diaz now. Three minutes still remain. Diaz takes the back of Pettis. ‘Showtime’ scrambles and winds up in top position. Wow! He has two minutes to work from the top now. Diaz looks to secure a triangle choke but Pettis is wise to it and avoids. Good shots from the bottom by Nate Diaz. He forces a scramble and winds up back in top position. The crowd roars in approval. Big shots from the Stockton native now. He moves to the back of Pettis. He locks in both hooks and traps an arm. The fighters scramble back and forth for submissions to close out round three.

Official UFC 241 Result: Nate Diaz def. Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision

Who would you like to see Nate Diaz fight next following his victory over Anthony Pettis at UFC 241? Sound off in the comments section PENN Nation!

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com August 17, 2019