UFC Nashville: Stephen Thompson on being the forgotten man in the welterweight division

Steven Muehlhausen

UFC Nashville: Stephen Thompson on being the forgotten man in the welterweight division image

In the last 12 months, the welterweight division has become one of the premier divisions in the UFC. The current crop of talent includes new welterweight champion Kamaru Usman, the man he beat at UFC 235 in Tyron Woodley, former interim titleholder Colby Covington and contenders Ben Askren, Jorge Masvidal and Leon Edwards. 

The one name that often is forgotten about? Former two-time welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson, who battles Anthony Pettis in the main event of Saturday's UFC Nashville event. 

Thompson (14-3-1) hasn't stepped inside the Octagon since his controversial unanimous decision loss to Darren Till back in May. He hoped to get back in there sooner and get the bad taste from that fight out of his mouth But a knee injury suffered during the bout benched him. Once he got healthy, Thompson wanted to return to action but said he couldn't find anyone to take him on. He recognizes that these are the reasons that his name isn't mentioned among the top welterweight contenders. However, Thompson plans on changing the narrative of being the forgotten welterweight this weekend against the former lightweight champion.  

"I think it’s true (not being talked about)," Thompson admits to Sporting News. "I’ve been out of sight, out of mind. I haven’t fought since May. Getting (a fight) has been tough. That’s why I have to go out there and make a statement on Saturday. I need to prove to the UFC and the fans that I’m still here. That’s why I’ve been so focused on training as hard as I can in this fight with Anthony Pettis. I’m not taking him lightly. I know he’s going to be dangerous."

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Realizing Thompson didn't have a dance partner, out came the former lightweight champion in January with a challenge.

 

 

A fight against Pettis wasn't something that Thompson had on his mind. He was thinking about bouts with former welterweight champ Robbie Lawler, former lightweight titlist Rafael dos Anjos or Edwards. Once Thompson heard who was knocking at his door, it didn't take him long to answer the call. 

"It wasn’t even on my radar when I found out he called me out," Thompson said. "I thought it was pretty cool. I saw it all blowing up. It put a smile on my face. Once it popped up, I thought it could be an awesome fight. I don’t know what his thinking was in calling me out. Maybe he saw other lightweights like Jorge Masvidal and Michael Chiesa moving up and doing well and thought it made sense. Once the fans saw everything going down, they got on board, and here we are."

Looking at what Thompson and Pettis bring to the table, this has the chance to be the most exciting battle so far this year. They come from martial arts backgrounds and two of the most explosive strikers in the sport. The anticipation is high and Thompson believes that they will deliver the goods.

"It’s such that because no one expected him to call me out and how they are wanting to see this fight," Thompson said. "They want to know who has the better striking. For me, this is a fun style of fighting. He comes from a taekwondo background, and I came from a karate background. The fans are going to see an exciting fight. We will see who the better ninja is." 

The 36-year-old knows his back is against the wall. Coming into Saturday night, Thompson's lost two of his last three. He could ill afford another setback. In Thompson's mind, getting the nod over a fighter the caliber of Pettis will put him right back into the thick of the welterweight title chase. 

"I just have to go out and put on an exciting performance," Thompson said. "I need to let people know I’m here and still in the game. I’m not being talked about right now, but I plan on giving them a reason to talk about me again. Usman becoming the champion has rekindled the fire again for me. A win tells everybody that I’m still going for that title. I’m ranked third right now. I need to go out there, put on a great performance and let everyone know that I’m still here and Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson is one of the best welterweights in the world."

Steven Muehlhausen

Steven Muehlhausen Photo

Steven Muehlhausen is a contributing writer for DAZN News. He writes features and news stories, and provides analysis relating to the world of boxing. Over the past five years, he has interviewed some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Conor McGregor, Daniel Cormier, Terence Crawford, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Bill Goldberg.