Stephen Thompson breaks down potential Kamaru Usman vs. Jorge Masvidal fight

Stephen Thompson is right back in the mix at 170 pounds.

Thompson snapped a two-fight losing skid with a masterful performance against Vicente Luque this past November, proving he’s still a threat in the division.

UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman is projected to face Jorge Masvidal next, an opponent “Wonderboy” is familiar with.

Thompson is the last man to beat Masvidal, but since then, Masvidal has skyrocketed through the ranks with three straight stoppage wins.

Usman is coming off a “Fight of the Year” contender at UFC 245, taking out Colby Covington in an all out standup war, but Thompson thinks Usman will go back to his usual grapple-heavy approach when facing Masvidal.

“I know Masvidal – he’s got great takedown defense,” Thompson told MMA Junkie. “Usman is a very strong fighter, very strong wrestler. I believe he’s not going to fight Masvidal like he did Colby Covington. I think he’s going to shoot on Masvidal. He’s going to try and take him down where he’s more comfortable. Obviously Masvidal is a phenomenal striker. I faced him and I could see that. So Usman is definitely going to try and shoot.

“If Masvidal can keep the fight standing, can fight off his takedown and keep it standing, I think he wins it all day. Usman, it’s very difficult because that guy is relentless. He’s also got a gas tank, too, and if they do fight, it’s got to be a main event. They’ve got to fight five five-minute rounds. So I think the cardio, the longer the rounds go, it favors Usman. And if it comes to the striking game, it definitely goes to Masvidal for sure.”

Thompson fell short to former champion Tyron Woodley on two occasions, but with a new king in the division, his route back to the top may now be a lot faster.

His style, with his karate stance and quick blitzes, has given fits to most who have faced him, and he thinks Usman would want nothing to do with the standup if the two were to ever fight.

“Usman is a very intelligent guy. He does his studying,” Thompson said. “He watches his opponents and I can tell that, and I can see that, so I don’t think he would keep the fight standing. He would shoot on me as he does against everybody else in the game, besides Colby Covington because both have a very similar style. I knew that they would want to keep the fight standing and Usman’s striking was amazing in that fight, especially his body shots. So he’s definitely worked on his striking game.

“He’s still getting better every day. But my takedown defense – most of the guys in the division that I’ve faced have been wrestlers and guys that are aggressive, so they kind of play into my style of fighting. So I think he’s going to make some changes and I’m going to be ready for that. My goal is to adapt to everybody that I face out there and in my head, I see him being a relentless wrestler – just getting me up against the cage, trying to tire me out like he does with everybody.”