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Report: Pettis to fight Thompson in welterweight debut

Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Anthony Pettis and Stephen Thompson have agreed to a welterweight bout on March 23 at the UFC Fight Night event expected to take place in Nashville, sources told ESPN's Ariel Helwani.

It will be Pettis' first foray into the 170-pound division. He has previously fought at lightweight - where he was the champion in 2013 - and featherweight.

Thompson is looking to rebuild his contender status at welterweight after failing in both his title shots against Tyron Woodley. He most recently lost to Darren Till via unanimous decision in May and has been sidelined since because of a hip injury.

Meanwhile, Pettis will take on a new challenge in an attempt to improve his recent run. He's 3-6 in his last nine fights and has alternated wins and losses in his last six Octagon trips. His last fight was a TKO loss to lightweight contender Tony Ferguson.

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