There is one former title contender who has made his stance known on the upcoming fight between Rafael dos Anjos and Colby Covington.
That contender is Stephen Thompson, who is slated to fight Darren Till in a welterweight bout at the upcoming UFC Liverpool, which is set to take place on Sunday, May 27, 2018, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England.
It’s well known that the UFC is moving forward with the welterweight division while Tyron Woodley is on the sidelines after undergoing surgery.
Thus, the reason that they have booked the former UFC lightweight champion against Covington for the interim welterweight title at the upcoming at the upcoming UFC 225 pay-per-view.
If it was up to Thompson, there would not be an interim title bout between these two fighters.
“I don’t think so at all,” Thompson told BloodyElbow.com. “If [Woodley]’s out for another year or two, then probably yeah, I think you should. But if he’s saying he’s gonna be back in July or August, there’s no reason why you should be fighting for an interim title.”
Thompson believes creating the second title takes away from Woodley’s run as champion in the division.
“It almost diminishes the value of the title, because they’re just throwing it out there — it’s like, ‘You can fight for an interim title, sure,’” Thompson said. “I don’t think they should be fighting for an interim title. If [Woodley] says he’ll be back in July or August, then just say, ‘Hey, the winner of this will fight for the title.’ I don’t know what the UFC is playing at or what their thinking is when it comes to the interim title. But they’re just like, ‘You can fight for it anytime. Anybody can fight for an interim title.’”
“I think it’s just politics,” Thompson said. “I think that they are trying to make that market out there (in Liverpool). And he’s calling me out, so why not make that happen? I fought for the title twice, and I guess they don’t want to see it again until I prove myself again. I think that’s just what the UFC is thinking.”
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