Stephen Thompson hellbent on landing UFC 295 fight with ex-Champion Kamaru Usman: ‘Let’s freakin’ go’
Keen to land his first Octagon walk of the year, former two-time welterweight title challenger, Stephen Thompson appears hellbent on landing a future title-eliminator against former division best, Kamaru Usman, at UFC 295 in November at Madison Square Garden.
Simpsonville striker, Thompson, has yet to feature since he headlined UFC Orlando back in December of last year against Kevin Holland – forcing an eventual fourth round corner stoppage TKO win over the Californian.
Booked to feature on the main card of UFC 291 at the end of July, Thompson saw a bout with Brazilian striker, Michel Pereira fall to the wayside after the latter missed non-title weight by four pounds for the welterweight clash.
And electing against fighting Pereira at a catchweight limit, Thompson has also revealed that he rejected the possibility of fighting the highly-touted, Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 293 next month in Sydney, Australia.
Stephen Thompson echoes call for UFC 295 return with Kamaru Usman
Also receiving a recent call out from Dublin striker, Ian Machado Garry, Thompson has also distanced himself from that clash – stressing that he has no desire to land a “gatekeeper” moniker, instead focusing on a potential fight with Usman.
“I told UFC, ‘Look, I’ll fight the JDMs (Jack Della Maddalena), I will fight the Ian Garry’s, just give me a full training camp,” Stephen Thompson said on his YouTube channel. “And then a few days later, lo and behold, Kamaru Usman calls me out. Let’s freakin’ go.”
“I want to show the UFC – and not just the UFC, but the fans, that I’m not a gatekeeper,” Stephen Thompson explained. “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.”
Himself sidelined since he took main event honors at UFC 286 back in March, former pound-for-pound number one, Usman headlined the London event in title trilogy rubber match with Leon Edwards, dropping a close, majority decision loss to the Birmingham native.
