Kamaru Usman was the big winner in the UFC 235 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event earlier this month in Las Vegas, Nevada, after shutting down Tyron Woodley and capturing the welterweight crown after five rounds of complete dominance.
Re-watch the highlights right here.
The second biggest winner was top welterweight contender Stephen Thompson, who remains ranked in the Top 5 but was nowhere near a 170-pound title shot after two unsuccessful (and somewhat lackluster) attempts to dethrone “The Chosen One.”
The field is now wide open.
“Having a new champion, I knew it was going to be better for my career,” Thompson told MMA Junkie. “Nobody wants to see Thompson vs. Woodley 3, and I kind of understood that. I would have to have two or three more fights before I even get that shot again. This, now that we’ve got a new champion, is going to be a faster way up.”
Thompson must first get past former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, who makes his 170-pound debut in the UFC Nashville main event this weekend on ESPN+ (more on that here). Beating “Showtime” probably won’t move him up in the rankings, but it will certainly put him back in the win column.
“The division has changed dramatically since the last time I fought,” Thompson continued. “Got a new champion, Darren Till got knocked out by a guy that I’ve already beat. It’s up in the air. I’m ranked No. 4 right now, so any one of us could be fighting for that title again.”
Thompson is actually ranked No. 3, behind Woodley and former interim champion, Colby Covington. “Chaos” has first dibs on Usman, while Woodley will wait and see what the promotion has in mind.
Perhaps a victory in “Music City” will put Thompson against this guy?