Stephen Thompson has been the subject of a lot of talk, and “Wonderboy” has finally released a statement online outlining his thoughts on recent callouts.
Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson has taken to his YouTube channel to update his fans on what’s next, and his plans don’t involve Ian Garry.
They may have, for a moment. Thompson said he was prepared to accept fights against the tough up-and-coming young guys like Jack Della Maddalena and Ian Garry, he just didn’t want to rush into those fights without a full camp. But that was before former welterweight champion Kamaru Usman called him out.
“I told UFC, ‘Look, I’ll fight the JDMs, I will fight the Ian Garrys, just give me a full training camp,’” Thompson said. “And then a few days later, lo and behold tomorrow, Kamaru Usman calls me out? Let’s freaking go!”
“I mean, I was willing to fight the JDMs, the Ian Garrys, the Shavkats,” he continued. “But then you 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?’”
“You know, I’ve been fighting back [against lower ranked opponents] since Tyron Woodley, apart from Gilbert Burns, to be honest with you. I’ve been fighting back. I’ve been fighting those thirteens, the Geoff Neals, the Vicente Luques, the Belal Muhammads. That fight with Michel Pereira, who I think was 15 or 13. 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,” he finished. “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.”
Kamaru Usman wants the fight. Stephen Thompson wants the fight. But does the UFC want the fight? Things have been kinda strange between “Wonderboy” and the UFC ever since he had the audacity to ask for his show purse after his UFC 291 opponent missed weight and their fight was canceled.
UFC president Dana White suggested Thompson would get his costs covered, but that’s about it. After UFC 292, he claimed “Wonderboy” turned down a fight with Ian Garry without elaborating on why. Now we know the Karate master was gunning for a fight with “The Nigerian Nightmare.”
Is White down for it? He didn’t say. It’d be a great fight, though, so let’s hope the UFC books it. And Thompson is already looking to the belt with a win over Usman.
“Leon Edwards,” he said at the end of the video. “When I beat Kamaru Usman, that’s my plan, that’s who I want.”