“No brainer” – Stephen Thompson snubs Ian Garry and calls out Kamaru Usman to fulfil title shot aspirations

The no.7 ranked contender Stephen Thompson welcomes a fight against former champion Kamaru Usman for a possibility of closing in on a title shot.

“No brainer” – Stephen Thompson snubs Ian Garry and calls out Kamaru Usman to fulfil title shot aspirations

Stephen Thompson wants Kamaru Usman instead of Ian Garry (via Imago)

UFC fighter Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is the number 7 contender in the welterweight division. Thompson is one of the most skilled strikers in the UFC, with great technical knowledge about the game. Recently, “Wonderboy” was offered to fight fellow welterweight Ian Garry, but the 40-year-old rejected the offer. He had a valid reason for his rejection, which he explained in a YouTube video.

Thompson said, ” I was willing to fight the (Jack Della Maddalenas), the Ian Garrys, and the Shavkat (Rakhmanovs). But then you got the guy, the no.1 contender, the former UFC champ, one of the greatest fighters, called me out. 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.“

YouTube video

Thompson is currently 17-6-1 in the UFC and has the ability to stand his ground against top opponents. His recent fight against Michael Pereira got canceled because of Pereira’s missing weight by almost 3 pounds. This caused some controversy in the division regarding Thompson’s lack of pay. But, a fresh opponent like Kamaru Usman can be a new ray of hope for Thompson as he plans to go after the title. But, Usman won’t be an easy challenge for the experienced fighter as the Nigerian-American has dominated the division for a long.

FS Video

This fight against Usman can be the ticket for “Wonderboy” to get back in the spotlight. The 40-year-old has been in the game for a long time and could be looking to reap some rewards from his fighting career.

Related: “Just say yes,” Ian Garry confident Stephen Thompson will accept fight despite Dana White’s earlier claim of denial 

Stephen Thompson reveals UFC’s fight offer for him after Michael Pereira controversy

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UFC welterweight Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson(Image courtesy: Sports Illustrated)

Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson was in the news recently after his UFC 291 opponent, Michael Periera, failed to make weight. Both the fighters were scheduled to fight on the card, but Periera weighed 3 pounds more than the welterweight limit. And, Thompson chose not to go ahead with the fight to avoid any unnecessary risk. This situation led to a controversy as the UFC decided not to pay Thompson even after he made weight for the contest.

In a recent video, Thompson revealed that UFC offered him another fight after the latest controversy. It was the Australian Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 293, just six weeks after the July event. But the 40-year-old rejected the fight, calling it ‘too soon’. Thompson spoke about how the training camp has been wearing him down and wants to heal up before getting back in the octagon.

Wonderboy’s response to Kamaru Usman‘s callout hints towards a future event including both fighters. But this fight would require Thompson to be at his best to stand a chance in taking down the no.1 ranked welterweight contender.

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