Issue 174

December 2018

Another major knee injury and a defeat in the octagon made 2018 a year to forget for Stephen Thompson, yet he remains optimistic about the future. He says, "a lot of people are going to be surprised by what I can do."

Back in May, Thompson was involved in a controversial fight with Darren Till on a weekend where seemingly nothing would go his way. After successfully making weight, Thompson found out that Till came in 3.5 pounds over the welterweight limit and he was asked to make the difficult decision as to whether he was still willing to accept the fight. Not wanting to upset the fans, Thompson decided the main event should still go ahead, but unfortunately, it wasn’t the end of his bad luck and he suffered a serious knee injury during the first round.

“I ended up tearing my MCL in the first round of my last fight with Darren Till so I’ve been out for a while,” Thompson explains. “I’m feeling really good now, but it actually took a lot longer to heal than I thought it would.

“After the surgery, I was still getting bad swelling after every training session. Now though it’s doing great so I’m just sticking with my physiotherapy and training two times a day with some of the amateurs and pros in my gym. They sacrificed themselves to help me prepare my fights so I’m always going to do the same for them.”

Knee surgeries are unfortunately an all-too-familiar occurrence for Thompson. Having had four major knee surgeries already, the former two-time UFC title challenger is no stranger to long periods of recovery but this time around he’s made sure to take his time before saying he’s ready to return.

“I’ve had tough breaks with all these knee surgeries but I’m really hoping that this is the end of my problems now,” Thompson reasons. “I still do the physio exercises from my first surgery to try and keep the strength in my knee up. It’s just about building the stability in my hamstrings and my quads and trying to keep everything around my knee strong.

“I still do all of those exercises every day and right now everything is starting to feel great again. I now know I’m ready to get back in that Octagon and I feel 100 percent.”

Despite sitting at #4 in the official UFC rankings, getting another title shot isn’t as straightforward as some might think. Having already fought Tyron Woodley, the champion twice and with the last fight between the two a not-so-exciting watch, Thompson is well aware it will take something special for him to get a third crack at the gold. Nevertheless, he does have grounds for optimism. The first fight was a majority draw which was awarded Fight of the Night while in the second, a team of media pundits gave it to Thompson despite the split decision against him.

“I think it’s probably going to be two or three more fights before I get back into the number one contender spot,” Thompson argues. “You got some super tough guys in the top five of the division and I think any one of these guys has the potential to be a champion. If I beat Lawler convincingly then it’s possible, but I think it will be a few more fights before I get my next shot. I think a lot of it will depend on how long Tyron holds the title.

“I think it would’ve been better for my career had Darren Till beaten him as I think I deserve a rematch with him and I’ve already fought Tyron twice,” he continues. “If I get another shot sooner, great, but mentally I’m geared up for the long haul, but I’m never giving up on that title. I’ll be 36 in February, but I consider myself a young 35-year-old and I want to keep going until I get that title around my waist.”

Woodley was widely criticized for his approach to both fights when he faced Thompson but that was soon forgotten after he finished Till in dominant fashion at UFC 228. Thompson himself admits he was surprised by Woodley’s aggression against the Liverpudlian having shared the Octagon with a far more cautious fighter in their two fights. 

“I didn’t expect Tyron to do what he did and I didn’t expect Till to be so tentative,” Thompson reflects. “Till is huge for 170 and I didn’t expect him just to throw three strikes; he only landed one if I’m not mistaken. Tyron was way more aggressive than usual and he went out there and did work.

“Hats o to Tyron man, he went out there and put on a show and finished him,” he continues. “He’s a super tough guy, great wrestler, but also a fantastic striker.”

Having won the UFC welterweight title back at UFC 201 in July 2016, Woodley is now one of the longest-reigning current UFC champions and has defended the belt successfully three times. Despite going through the frustration of unsuccessfully trying to take the belt o him twice, Thompson has grown to admire Woodley immensely both as a fighter and as a man.

“Tyron is a man I have so much respect for,” Thompson says. “Whenever you share the Octagon with someone, when you face them one-on-one and fight them, I think you share something special with that person and there’s a lot of respect you earn from that. When you look at what Tyron has done, he’s had it tough both inside and outside of the Octagon.

“He’s a champion for a reason and one day I know we will fight for the third time,” he continues. “It’s nothing but respect though. There’s no bad blood whatsoever, it’s all about the sport and who is the better competitor.”

Getting a third shot at the same champion is an opportunity very few challengers have previously been afforded and Thompson is well aware of the uphill task ahead of him. Having won only once in his last four fights, the 36-year-old has gone back to the drawing board with his team and he’s been working on other elements of his game aside from his world-class striking.

“As soon as I lost the second fight with Tyron I sat down with my Dad and the rest of my coaches and we looked at what it was I could improve on,” Thompson reflects. “It wasn’t all just about my striking, it was about everything. We looked at my wrestling, my jiu-jitsu which hardly anyone ever gets to see at this level. I think that’s going to be very different now and I can’t wait to show everyone that I do have different sides to my game. Everyone just thinks I want to go in there and strike but honestly I believe there’s so much more to me than just that.

“You will see that in my next few fights and I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by what I can do,” he continues. “Next time I step out there I want to show something different. This is about showing people that I’m a true mixed martial artist and I think it will start to give my opponents a lot more to think about. I think given the level of the competition I’m now facing, now is the time to show this different side of me.”

The UFC welterweight division is widely considered a shark tank with some of the biggest names in the sport occupying places in the top ten. With the likes of Robbie Lawler, Rafael dos Anjos, Colby Covington and Kamaru Usman all vying for shots at the champion, Thompson knows he’s in good company and it makes him even prouder of his achievements to date.

“I’ve always said that the UFC welterweight division is the toughest in the world and I think it’s amazing to be part of it all,” Thompson says. “Tyron has been a champion of multiple organizations now so he’s without a question one of the best there has ever been fighting at 170 pounds.

“I’m facing some of the best fighters in the world and how many people can say that?” he continues. “I think it’s amazing that I’m in that mix and it’s something I am really proud of. That’s the sort of thing you can tell your grandkids when you’re old. I think it’s cool and it’s a privilege to be able to fight these guys and share the Octagon with them. I’ve fought and beaten some of them already and I know I’m going to beat more of them before I’m done.”

Thompson’s upbeat attitude hasn’t been dampened by his latest injury and the light at the end of the tunnel is now closer than ever. The Upstate Karate man believes that 2019 is going to be his year and his return could come as early as January to get the ball rolling in the new year.

Having been just a whisker away from winning the title in 2016, Thompson firmly believes that he has what it takes to wear UFC gold and he says he’s going to achieve that feat by using his physical abilities alone and not take a shortcut to the title like others have in the division.

“I want to fight three times at least in 2019, but most importantly I just want to go out there and put on a show,” Thompson says. “In this game, you got to stay relevant and you can do that by being exciting and putting on fights that the fans enjoy. I don’t talk trash or entertain people that way so it’s doubly important to me that my fights are exciting.

“I want to go out there and finish people,” he concludes. “It’s never easy at this level but I know I can do it. I’m itching now just to get back out there and prove I’m the best in the world. 2019 is going to be the year I get that title.”