Two-time UFC welterweight title contender Stephen ‘Wonderboy’ Thompson is coming off a controversial unanimous decision loss against Darren Till at UFC Fight Night 130 in May at Liverpool, England. After the controversial verdict, ‘Wonderboy’ recognizes the need to change up his fighting style.
Thompson who accepted the Till bout even though he missed weight for the fight, for that UFC president Dana White shows his gratitude for ‘Wonderboy.’ In the post-fight speech, White assured, UFC would do everything, what Thompson wants in return. Now Thompson has a chance to cash in on White’s words and wants to bring the UFC to his hometown of South Carolina. ‘Wonderboy’ dropped two spots to number three at the UFC’s official welterweight rankings after the Darren Till fight and now moving past his recent loss. Now he wants the main headliner bout with former 170-pound champion Robbie Lawler.
“We took [White] up on [his offer],” Thompson told MMAjunkie recently. “We chatted back and forth, and I think that’s something they’re definitely excited about and looking forward to. Hopefully we can get something going by the end of the year. If not that, the beginning of next year.”
“We have an awesome venue here,” Thompson continued, speaking of the 16,000 seat Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville. “It seats a hundred more than the [MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas]. I did my very first MMA fight at the arena, and we packed it out. I know we can. That’s something we’re just trying to work on. We want some more fights down south. It’s something we’re talking about with Dana White, and we want to make that happen.”
“If not, it would be cool to fight again in Madison Square Garden.”
Thompson says a showdown with Lawler is enough to bring him back for title hunt.
“With Robbie Lawler, he’s coming off of a knee injury,” Thompson said. “I was just thinking, ‘Robbie Lawler’s out for a little bit. I might be out for a little bit. Let’s call for Robbie Lawler, and maybe the timing will be fairly right.’
“Hopefully we can fight each other.”
Lawler last fought in December 2017, where he lost to Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision. Meanwhile, Thompson is 2-1 in his past three fights.
Are you guys excited to see a showdown between Thompson and Lawler?
