Stephen Thompson Says Nate Diaz ‘Would Be A Very Cool Fight’

Multi-time UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson would love to face Nate Diaz at some point in his career.

Thompson suffered the first knockout of his career when he faced Anthony Pettis at UFC Nashville earlier this year. He was originally hoping to compete at the UFC Greenville card, which takes place near his hometown later this month. However, with his knockout defeat to Pettis, he is now taking things slowly as he hopes to return in the fall instead.

His ideal preference for a comeback fight is someone in the top five, but another option in Diaz also entices “Wonderboy”:

“”Dude, I would love to fight Nate Diaz, man,” Thompson told reporters at UFC 238. “He’s a legend of the game for sure. I think I’m older than him but still, he’s a legend of the game and he’s been in the game a lot longer than I have.

“The dude’s tough, I like his mentality, I like where his head’s at especially when it comes to the art of war. It’s just awesome. That would be a very cool fight, I think.“

Thompson Rooting For Pettis Against Diaz

Diaz is set to make his return to action after nearly three years when he meets Pettis at UFC 241, which takes place August 17 in Anaheim, California. Thompson thinks it will be a great fight but is ultimately rooting for the man who inflicted his most recent defeat:

“I think it’s going to be a great fight for both of them,” Thompson added. “Of course, I think I’m rooting for Anthony just because he beat me last. And I’ve been a fan of his for a while anyway.

“I think Nate’s definitely got the reach but he’s just a relentless guy. Takes a lot of damage which tires a lot of his opponent out. His opponents start to get tired and he just takes over so it’s going to be a good fight.”