[autotag]Stephen Thompson[/autotag] wants to make one final title run, and doesn’t see the likes of [autotag]Ian Garry[/autotag] getting him there.
After his fight with Michel Pereira at UFC 291 fell through due to Pereira missing weight, Thompson (17-6-1 MMA, 12-6-1 UFC) wants to set his sights ahead.
Fights with rising contenders Jack Della Maddalena and Garry are fun stylistic matchups that he’d entertain, but after former UFC welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] called him out, that’s the fight “Wonderboy” wants.
“I told UFC, ‘Look, I’ll fight the JDMs. I will fight the Ian Garrys. Just give me a full training camp,'” Thompson said on his YouTube channel. “And then a few days later, lo and behold, Kamaru Usman calls me out? Let’s freaking go.
“I mean, I was willing to fight the JDMs, the Ian Garrys, the Shavkat (Rakhmonovs). But then you’ve got the guy, the No. 1 contender, the former UFC champ, one of the greatest fighters, calling me out. This was a guy I thought I would face one day and never did, and I think he was thinking the same thing. And I was just like, ‘Let’s make this fight happen. Are you kidding me?'”
Two-time title challenger Thompson has given lower-ranked contenders many opportunities, where he lost some fights, and prevailed in others. He thinks it’s only fair he fights a higher-ranked welterweight for a change.
“I’ve been fighting backwards since Tyron Woodley, apart from Gilbert Burns, to be honest with you,” Thompson said. “I’ve been fighting back. I’ve been fighting those 13s – the Geoff Neals, the Vicente Luques, the Belal Muhammads. I tried to get that fight with Michel Pereira, who I think was 15 or 13 – I don’t remember – but giving these guys a shot.
“I want to show the UFC, and not just the UFC, but the fans, that I’m not a gatekeeper. I am not a gatekeeper. I’ve got a small window to kind of do what I want to do with the fight game. I’m 40 years old, and when I see a chance to go for another title shot before it’s over, when Kamaru Usman calls me out, I’m like – dude, no brainer. No brainer.”
Thompson knows he’s had recent setbacks to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns, but sees a win over Usman as a ticket to a title shot.
“Leon Edwards,” Thompson said. “When I beat Kamaru Usman, that’s my plan – that’s who I want.”
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