Stephen Thompson is set to fight Rory MacDonald in a welterweight bout at the June 18th UFC Fight Night event. During a recent interview, Thompson revealed that he was surprised that the UFC gave him this fight.
“I was a little bit surprised,” Thompson told BloodyElbow.com’s The MMA Circus. “I was kind of bummed about it. Rory MacDonald had fought for it in July, and it’s almost like they’re kind of giving him a second crack at it, I guess. But he’s the No. 1 contender, he’s the only guy standing in my way, above me in the rankings. And if the UFC wants me to fight one more time, I’ll do it. What better guy to face off against? Not only is he a friend, but a phenomenal martial artist. So I’m training really hard to get up there and put on a show for everybody June 18th.”
Thompson believes that he should be fighting for the UFC welterweight title, which is currently being held by Robbie Lawler. Thompson vowed that he once he beats MacDonald at this event then he will demand a title shot.
“Oh no man, they have to give it to me,” he said. “I’m demanding it after this fight. I never want to look past anybody, I know it could be a possibility, it could be around the corner, that title shot. But like I said, I try not to look past anybody. I got one guy I’m focused on, and I just gotta make sure I get past him before I even start thinking about that. Sometimes you get guys, they don’t worry about the guys standing in front of them at that moment. Just gotta stay focused, baby. Good training partners, my family around me to keep me focused and positive, it definitely helps.”
“I wasn’t really upset that the fact they were putting me up against Rory, it was just the fact they weren’t giving me the title shot at the time. We do have a good relationship, me and the guys at Tri-Star. Love those guys. Firas Zahabi, Aiemann, Georges, Rory MacDonald. We’ve fought on the same cards, and whenever we do that, we see each other and like to sit and chat. We’ve been on a few media tours together.”
Thompson (12-1) is currently on a six-fight winning streak.
The event takes place Ontario, Canada and will air on FOX Sports 1.
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