Stephen "Wonderboy" Thompson looks at his corner in-between rounds of a fight in 2019.
Stephen Thompson explains why he wants to fight “OG” Nate Diaz
UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson explained why he wants to fight Nate Diaz if he doesn’t get the next title shot at 170lbs.
Thompson is coming off of back-to-back decision wins over Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque and is currently the No. 5 ranked welterweight in the UFC. He is the highest-ranked fighter at 170lbs who Usman hasn’t fought yet, and that’s his main argument about getting a title shot. While fighters such as Jorge Masvidal, Colby Covington, and Leon Edwards figure to be next in line for Usman just due to being ranked higher than Thompson, that isn’t stopping “Wonderboy” from calling for a title shot.
At the same time, Thomspon realizes that there’s a chance someone such as Masvidal could get the title shot before him, and that’s why he has a Plan B. Speaking to Mike Heck of MMAFighting.com, Thompson said that if Usman isn’t next, then he has two other names in mind. They are Covington and Diaz. While Covington is likely going to face Gilbert Burns next, Diaz seems to be free. That’s why “Wonderboy” wanted to explain why he believes a fight against the “OG” Diaz makes sense for him.
“Colby Covington, Burns, maybe Leon Edwards if there’s another falling out. I don’t know what could happen between now and then. Even Nate Diaz. He said he wants to come back in April or May and that’s my timeframe as well. That’s a guy with a name and I think he’s an OG, man. That makes sense for me. But for somebody that’s ranked behind me, even though Chiesa is right there, give me someone that’s ranked above me. For the past two years, I’ve been fighting guys ranked behind me,” Thompson said.
At age 38, it appears as though Thompson realizes his days as a top contender at dwindling due to Father Time, and he’s looking to take advantage of knowing that fact by staying as busy as he can. You know that he’s going to keep pushing for that title shot, but if it doesn’t happen for him, then a fight between Thompson and Diaz could be the right one based on the rankings and based on timing.
Who do you want to see Stephen Thompson fight next?
