Stephen Thompson: "I Finish Rory, I'll Get the Title Shot"

Stephen Thompson: "I Finish Rory, I'll Get the Title Shot"

Stephen Thompson isn’t shy about voicing his intentions to become the UFC welterweight champion. And he’s more than happy to do the work to prove he's ready

Jun 10, 2016 by Duane Finley
Stephen Thompson: "I Finish Rory, I'll Get the Title Shot"
Stephen Thompson isn’t shy about voicing his intentions to become the UFC welterweight champion. And he’s more than happy to do the work to prove he's ready.

Thompson has built a tremendous amount of momentum since landing on the sport’s biggest stage in 2012. Thompson has used the past four years to build a compelling highlight reel. The most recent addition to his highlight reel came at the expense of Johny Hendricks at UFC Fight Night 82 back in February.

The South Carolina native cut through the former 170-pound champion like a buzzsaw.

“It was very surreal to be honest,” Thompson said. “I didn’t expect to finish Johny Hendricks in the first round and especially to do it in the fashion I did it. You don’t really remember what happened in the moment, so I had to go back and watch the fight again when I got back home and it was exactly like we planned.

“If you’ve seen Johny fight once you’ve seen him fight 100 times. He doesn’t evolve. He doesn’t change. We knew he liked to throw that big looping left hand and push you up against the cage and take you down. The distance management we were working and the range we planned to attack from worked perfectly. It was textbook from start to finish.”

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The win wasn’t enough for Thompson to secure a shot at championship gold. The UFC made it clear he would need another big win in order to obtain a coveted title shot. Thompson gets that chance when he faces Rory MacDonald later this month.

“I really thought my last fight with Johny Hendricks would be the most important of my career, but there’s no doubt this one has more riding on it,” Thompson said. “I want that title shot and I was hoping to get it after Hendricks. He was the former champion and I beat him in the first round, but Rory is the most well-rounded fighter I’ve faced.

“He’s the No. 1 contender. He’s fought the current champion Robbie Lawler twice and he’s just a big test for me. Even though he’s a buddy of mine, it’s a huge test to prove to the UFC I deserve the title shot.”

MacDonald has long been the heir apparent to teammate Georges St-Pierre. But he's never been able to fill St-Pierre's shoes. 

Thompson has been enjoying a different type of success. He will come into his bout with MacDonald on a six-fight winning streak.

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“Being [on] a six-fight winning streak builds your confidence in a lot of ways,” Thompson said. “That said, you never want to come into a fight overconfident. I have to understand Rory will be the best guy I’ve ever faced and that’s not just something I say to myself. That’s the absolute truth, but recognizing that challenge is what allows me to have fun out there.

“That’s what keeps me calm. I know whether I win or lose my family is going to love me after the fight. There will be another fight after this one and that gives me a sense of peace when I’m out there. It gives me confidence and allows me to go out there and do my thing.”

Although Thompson acknowledges he and MacDonald are friends and occasional training partners, that connection won’t deter him from pursuing his ultimate goal. Thompson knows both he and MacDonald are aiming for the same end game. And when you compete in the elite tier, facing friends inside the Octagon is an unfortunate result of the fight trade.

When the cage door closes, Thompson will see MacDonald as another skilled fighter looking to stop his rise to become champion, and he plans to overcome that obstacle by any means necessary.

“After this fight they have to give it to me,” Thompson said. “If they don’t give me the title fight after beating Rory then something is wrong. I also think it’s the way I go out there and finish Rory that will play a factor. If I win a very close decision I could see a possibility of not getting the title shot, but if I go out there and finish him, it’s definitely mine. I’m not going out there looking to force the knockout, I’m just going to let it happen. I’m just going to go out there and do my thing and I’m going to get that title shot."