Stephen Thompson wants to make one final title run, and doesn’t see the likes of Ian Garry 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 Kamaru Usman 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.”