Stephen Thompson will do everything within his power to win the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title, a goal he failed to achieve at the UFC 205 pay-per-view (PPV) event last November in New York.
That was then. This is now.
After battling Tyron Woodley to a five round-draw in the “Empire State” (watch it), the former kickboxing phenom went back into training camp with the intention of getting stronger and faster for their second go-round.
“Wonderboy” talks to BJPenn.com:
“Last time I was walking around at about 182 (pounds). I’m up to 190 (pounds) and I’m trying to stay about right there. I am not trying to get over that. It is still a dramatic cut. But, I have done it before. I have done it in the past. So I know I can do it. I am feeling stronger and I am feeling faster than ever man. In the past I have actually gone out there and looked for the knockout and just found that I wear myself out trying. So now I am more patient. If the knockout happens then it happens. If not, I am ready to go five, five-minute rounds of war. That is what I am preparing for. I am just looking to go out there and leave it all in the Octagon.”
He might be leaving it all in the hospital (like this guy).
That depends on just how ”dramatic” his weight cut gets — sans IV hydration — during fight week, which is just the sort of thing local athletic commissions love to hear from high-profile fighters.
Thompson and Woodley will run it back in the main event of the UFC 209 PPV a week from Saturday night (March 4, 2017) inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (details), with the winner moving on to fight ... well we don’t know just yet, thanks to this guy.
Stay tuned.