At 42, Stephen Thompson is still trucking.
Thompson (17-8-1 MMA, 12-8-1 UFC) takes on Gabriel Bonfim (17-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 70 (ESPN, ESPN+) co-main event at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Thompson revealed to MMA Junkie that his UFC contract is winding down, but he has no intention to stop fighting just yet.
“I’ve got two fights left, and we’re going to see them through, we’re going to honor them,” Thompson said Tuesday. “Go out there and win these next two fights in a great fashion, and we’ll see if we’ll keep going. It depends on what the UFC wants to do for sure. God forbid, if it doesn’t, then I’ve got other routes that I can take.”
Despite taking on another rising welterweight in Bonfim, “Wonderboy” doesn’t view himself as a gatekeeper.
“I’m kind of like the go-to guy in the welterweight division that – there’s a lot of guys in the welterweight division, it’s actually getting popular for people to try to hold onto their spot, and I’m notorious for giving these guys a shot,” Thompson said. “I did it with Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal, Kevin Holland. I’m just the guy to allow these guys to come up and test themselves.
“I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for those guys – Jake Ellenberger, Johny Hendricks, Rory MacDonald. Those guys gave me a shot. So just giving these guys a chance to prove themselves coming up, that’s kind of what it is at this point.”
