Stephen Thompson is putting his name out there as a potential option for Kamaru Usman’s next title defense.
Stephen Thompson had a feeling Kamaru Usman was going to walk away victorious in his fight against Gilbert Burns at UFC 258, and he was right.
Thompson believed that the champion would get the upper hand over the challenger if the fight made it to the ground because he saw the wrestling of Usman being enough to stave off the jiu-jitsu of Burns. However, the fight went in a completely different direction than what was to be expected and was contested on the feet for as long as it lasted.
Usman survived an early knockdown from Burns to come back and finish the fight in the third round with a technical knockout in a performance that has been praised by many, with Thompson being chief among them.
Thompson admittedly had a vested interest in the fight between Usman and Burns because he knew it was very likely that he could meet the winner later on in what would be his third championship opportunity in the welterweight division. He recently re-established himself as a title contender with a dominant unanimous decision win over Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 17 in December.
With Usman in need of an opponent for his next title defense, Thompson is putting his name out there as someone new for the champion to take on. Speaking with Mike Heck of MMA Fighting on an episode of What the Heck, “Wonderboy” gave his reason for why he should be the one considered for Usman despite his repeated calls for a rematch with Jorge Masvidal.
“For one, his last fight was you. Masvidal’s last fight I believe was Kamaru Usman, right? So, it just doesn’t make sense for the guy to fight him again,” said Thompson. “He clearly lost. Yeah, it was short notice, but i just think that Kamaru Usman knows. It’s smart for him. He knows he can beat him and it’s a big name. There is beef there, so it makes sense on his part. But, as a fan and as a fighter and as somebody who has been at the top of the game and trying to get title fights, it doesn’t make sense.
“Fight somebody you haven’t fought yet,” Thompson continued. “You beat pretty much everybody except for one — me, in the top five. That’s it. Of course, you got Michael Chiesa who is ranked No. 6, he hasn’t fought Michael Chiesa either. Keep on going down the line. You beat everybody up here, who’s next? It’s this guy.”
While Thompson remains firm in wanting the next title shot, he may have to wait a while if recent reporting about the rematch between Usman and Masvidal actually being close to finalization is accurate. There were rumors of both men serving as head coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, but those have not been confirmed.
In the meantime, Thompson will be waiting for his next assignment from the UFC brass.