‘Wonderboy’ Could Be Robbie Lawler’s Last Roadblock To Legendary Status
No. 2-ranked UFC welterweight contender Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson may very well be the best striker in all of mixed martial arts (MMA), or he at least ranks amongst the elite in that category.
The 33-year-old has suddenly emerged as a legitimate contender in the 170-pound division after putting together a six fight win streak that was capped off by a dominant stoppage victory over ex-champion Johny Hendricks last February.
In the wake of such success, “Wonderboy” will get his chance to establish himself as the clear No. 1 contender in the main event of this weekend’s (June 18, 2016) UFC Fight Night 89 when he meets former title challenger and top-ranked welterweight Rory “Red King” MacDonald.
If Thompson can secure yet another win over a respectable name, the UFC will no longer be able to deny him a title shot, and he could very well represent the last roadblock to champion Robbie Lawler, who has been on a quest to clean out the top of the division since becoming the champion in December 2014.
The welterweight division packs some serious competition, but in terms of true title contenders, the level of talent appears to dip after the No. 6-ranked Hendricks.
When looking at the fighters ranked from No. 1 to No. 6, Lawler has already beaten three of them, one of them twice, and is slated to face a fourth in Tyron Woodley in the main event of July 30’s UFC 201 from Atlanta, Georgia.
If the “Ruthless” one can get by Woodley, who has been waiting on the sidelines since January 2015, only “Wonderboy” and grappling guru Demian Maia will remain, and the UFC doesn’t appear to be too enthusiastic about pushing Maia towards a title shot given the fact that he isn’t the most marketable name.
With that being said, Thompson could seemingly serve as Lawler’s last obstacle before cleaning out one of the best upper echolons of a division in all of MMA, a true murderer’s row of contenders.
Of course this will be irrelevant if Lawler comes up short against Woodley, and if “Wonderboy” falls opposite MacDonald, then the “Ruthless” one will likely be left with rematches and trilogy bouts. That may not necessarily be a bad thing given the action-packed nature of Lawler’s recent fights, but a division is always striving for new contests.
Lawler vs. Thompson is that new contest.
Neither man has an easy path towards making this bout happen, but given the way each has been fighting, it’s a very realistic possibility. If and when this fight occurs, Thompson will look to continue his rise towards UFC stardom while Lawler’s trek towards 170-pound greatness will hang in the balance.
How do you see the future of the welterweight division playing out?
