Stephen Thompson: Having New Welterweight Champ Is Better For My Career
Stephen Thompson unsuccessfully challenged for the UFC welterweight championship twice during Tyron Woodley’s reign.
Now, with Kamaru Usman sitting on the 170-pound throne, “Wonderboy” believes this plays into his favor (via MMA Junkie):
“Having a new champion, I knew it was going to be better for my career,” Thompson said. “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.
“The division has changed dramatically since the last time I fought. 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.”
Usman dethroned Woodley via lopsided unanimous decision in the co-main event of UFC 235 earlier this month. Now, he’s expected to make his first title defense against Colby Covington next. As for Thompson, he’ll have to string together a few impressive performances before getting another title opportunity.
He’ll main event UFC Nashville this weekend (Sat. March 23, 2019) against ex-lightweight champion Anthony “Showtime” Pettis. Pettis will be able to match Thompson’s dynamic striking ability, making this a fun match-up for the Tennessee crowd.
