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Tag: Stephen Thompson

  • Muhammad Reveals Racial Abuse In UFC Apex During Wonderboy Fight

    In the aftermath of his impressive co-main event victory over Stephen Thompson at UFC Vegas 45 this past weekend, Belal Muhammad revealed the racism he’d been subjected to by a member of the Apex crowd.

    After his first opportunity to break into the welterweight elite ended in disaster thanks to an inadvertent eye poke at the hands of top-five contender Leon Edwards in March, Muhammad had his second chance to do so at the final UFC event of 2021. Opposite him in the Octagon was perennial contender and two-time title challenger, “Wonderboy.”

    Following a similar blueprint to Gilbert Burns, who defeated Thompson earlier this year, Muhammad imposed his will, consistently taking the 38-year-old down and delivering damage on the ground and against the fence. After 15 minutes of control and dominance, “Remember The Name” took home a unanimous decision victory and will be ascended further up the division when the next rankings update arrives.

    While he secured the win and established himself as a real contender at 170 pounds, the night wasn’t without some disappointment for Muhammad.

    Muhammad: “It Was Some Drunk Hick”

    Since introducing small crowds at the Apex, the facility that allowed the UFC to continue hosting events throughout the pandemic, the atmosphere has increased and provided a better feeling to Fight Nights. But on Saturday, not everyone let through the door behaved appropriately.

    During his Octagon interview with Michael Bisping, Muhammad addressed someone in the audience who’d seemingly been sending abuse his way during his three-round fight with Thompson. During the post-fight press conference, the 33-year-old expanded on the racism he was subjected to from a “drunk hick” outside the Octagon.

    “He was screaming out like, it was some drunk hick or something like that, screaming out racist Arabic words and stuff like that. I was just like, ‘Wonderboy, are these your boys?’ And he’s like, ‘Nah, nah, they ain’t my boys.’ I was like, ‘Alright, cool,’ and kept punching him again. It’s a small Apex, so you hear everything, and it was just weird. I was like, ‘Alright, I can see who you are.’ So I’m about to catch him on the Strip later today.”

    There is certainly no room for racism in MMA, or any sport for that matter, not least when an athlete is putting their body on the line to entertain you. Given the size of the crowd and Muhammad’s knowledge of which individual used the terms, it shouldn’t be hard for the UFC to take action.

    Should the abusive audience member be banned from the Apex for life?

  • Fighters React To Belal Muhammad Dominating Stephen Thompson At UFC Vegas 45

    Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad was a one-sided fight.  

    The two fighters met in a bout on Saturday night (December 18, 2021) at the UFC Vegas 45 event from Las Vegas, Nevada at the UFC Apex facility.

    Thompson threw a lot of kicks to open the first round. Belal did tag him with a right hand. They did some cage fighting while in the clinch and Belal landed several good left hands. Belal did score a late round takedown where he got his back and dished out a lot of damage to the bell. In the second round, Belal scored two takedowns with the latter being the dominant position as he held him there while holding onto his right arm for a submission. Belal later dished out some punches. Belal went right back to the takedown in the third round. Thompson stood up then stuffed a takedown. Belal did get a takedown right after that. Belal got the decision win. 

    Peep the highlights of the fight courtesy of the UFC’s official Twitter account:

    Thompson had gone 2-3 in his previous five outings heading into this fight. He suffered a unanimous decision loss to Darren Till in the main event of the UFC Liverpool event back in May 2018, a loss to former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in the headliner of UFC on ESPN+ 6 by knockout in the second round, and a decision win Vicente Luque at the UFC 244 pay-per-view event from Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. He rallied when he beat Geoff Neal at UFC Vegas 17 by decision. His most recent fight saw him get beat by Gilbert Burns by decision at UFC 264. 

    Muhammad had gone 8-1-1 in his last 10 fights all coming under the UFC banner with his lone loss to Geof Neal by decision in January 2019. He’s won last four fights over Curtis Millender, Takashi Sato, Lyman Good, and Dhiego Lima before going to a non-contest with Leon Edwards at UFC Vegas 21 in March 21. 

    Let’s see how the fighters reacted to the outcome of this fight: 

    UFC Vegas 45 Results & Highlights: Derrick Lewis vs. Chris Daukaus, Stephen Thompson vs. Belal Muhammad

    MMA News has you covered with results, highlights, and post-fight tidbits from UFC Vegas 45. Be sure to keep checking the homepage for the latest news.

  • Archives: Woodley Says The UFC Underpromotes Him Due To Race (2017)

    Tonight, Tyron Woodley will face Jake Paul in a rematch of their highly promoted bout from August. But before he was boxing YouTubers in specialty prize fights, he was the undisputed UFC champion. However, according to Woodley, you would have never known it by the way he was treated by the UFC.

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 19, 2017, 8:51 AM]

    Headline: Tyron Woodley: Race Responsible for Being “Worst-Treated Champ in UFC History”

    Author: Adam Haynes

    Tyron “T-Wood” Woodley believes that being an African-American in the UFC has worked against him and other fighters when it comes to promotional appeal.

    Woodley feels that the UFC can capitalize on stardom in an effort to convert more African-American fans from boxing and other sports to MMA.

    UFC’s welterweight champion is of the opinion that the UFC is not doing enough to promote both him and the sport as a whole to the African Americans, and feels as though the time has come for the franchise to do so:

    “I think I’m the only African-American fighter on the roster who can capture the market,” Woodley said. “Especially with Floyd Mayweather retiring and things like that. But you have to educate the community on what it is. Most people in the community, those people think that mixed martial artists are a whole bunch of crazy white guys kicking on each other and they sprinkle in a few brothers. That’s their thought. They don’t see it as karate, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, taekwondo, sambo. They don’t see it’s a beautiful art with so many martial arts combined in them.”

    Woodley’s frustration also stretches to another fighter he feels has not been promoted to the best of the UFC’s abilities, the current flyweight champion and pound-for-pound #1, Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson.

    The Missouri native brought questions [courtesy of ESPN] to the fore regarding black fighters (such as Johnson),  have not attained the level of superstardom which white fighters such as [Conor] McGregor and [Ronda] Rousey have:

    “The best pound-for-pound fighter, Demetrious Johnson, African-American male, completely a Tasmanian devil,”  “Why isn’t he getting the endorsements? Why isn’t he making the most money? What’s the difference? Think about it.”

    “I’m by far the worst-treated champion in the history of the UFC. Blatantly fact.”

    Woodley appears to be genuinely incredulous as to why the UFC have, as he feels, not made more of an effort to market him:

    “I’m a husband, I’m a father of four, I’m a gym owner,” Woodley said. “I’m an actor. I’m an analyst. I’m a stuntman. I’m a Christian. Every avenue you can take me, I’ve done it. I grew up in the projects. I grew up in gang banging. Family of 14 in a four-bedroom house and I made a choice to be successful. What is there not to market? I’m fighting like hell. I’m not doing performance-enhancing drugs in my life. Why would they not want to market me?”

  • Archives: Thompson Says He’s Got Tyron Woodley’s Number (2017)

    Tonight, both Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson will be in action four years after the publication of the following article. Woodley will look to leave no doubt that he is better than Jake Paul while Thompson will be competing against Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 45. The two also made headlines earlier this week for having some level of involvement in the Netflix series Cobra Kai.

    As far as their own personal history goes, Woodley and Thompson fought one another in the UFC two times. The first encounter at UFC 209 resulted in a majority draw. Prior to their UFC 209 rematch, which Woodley would go on to win, Thompson believed he had “The Chosen One’s Number.”

    The following article is presented to you in its original, unaltered form, courtesy of the MMA News Archives.

    [ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED JANUARY 10, 2017, 11:52 PM]

    Headline: Stephen Thompson: ‘I’ve Got Tyron Woodley’s Number’

    Author: Fernando Quiles Jr.

    The welterweight title rematch between champion Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson is finally official. After trading barbs and talk of big money fights, the two finally reached a deal to scrap once again at UFC 209.

    “Wonderboy” and “The Chosen One” went to war at UFC 205 in New York City in November. Thompson took an incredible amount of punishment, but was never out of the fight. They went the distance and the fight was ruled a majority draw. Both men earned a “Fight of the Night” bonus.

    Woodley still argues that he was the clear winner in their first encounter and that in the rematch, he’ll prove that he is the better fighter. Thompson has other plans (via MMAJunkie Radio):

    “There’s going to be no doubt in everybody’s mind who the winner of that fight is going to be, and that’s going to be me.”

    Before agreeing to fight “Wonderboy” again, Woodley tried to secure a super fight with Nick Diaz. When that didn’t materialize, he aimed for middleweight champion Michael Bisping. Thompson criticized Woodley for trying to settle for a draw.

    “He wants to fight everybody else but me is what it seems like. We did fight to a draw last time, which, in my eyes, we might as well have not even fought at all. It almost seems like he’s happy with a draw, and he’s OK with it. In my eyes, as a champion, I wouldn’t be happy with that.”

    Thompson believes he has the champion figured out. The challenger is confident that he will walk away with only his hand raised and gold around his waist.

    “I know I can hit him, and I can hit him with some power. I’ve got his number, man. Next time we step out there, I can just go out there and do my thing.”

    UFC 209 takes place from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on March 4.

  • UFC Vegas 45: Lewis vs. Daukaus Weigh-In Results & In-Depth Preview

    The weigh-in results for UFC Vegas 45: Lewis vs. Daukaus are in, and we’ve got the results along with a preview for tomorrow night’s event for you below.

    The weigh-ins are complete for UFC Vegas 45, and three fighters have missed weight. In Justin Tafa’s case, he made history by becoming the first heavyweight to ever miss weight. Greg Hardy initially missed weight at UFC Vegas 12 last year, but he was able to successfuly make weight on his second attempt. Tafa, however, did not return to the scales after weighing in at 267 pounds, which is one pound over the heavyweight limit.

    Macy Chiasson also missed weight for her featherweight bout against Raquel Pennington, coming in at 148.5 pounds, 2.5 pounds over the limit. Meanwhile, Sijara Eubanks’ struggles on the scale continue, with the flyweight weighing in 1.5 pounds over the flyweight limit ahead of her bout against Melissa Gatto.

    UFC Vegas 45 takes place from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. The entire card will stream on ESPN+, with the prelims starting at 4:00 PM ET and the main card beginning at 7:00 PM ET.

    UFC Vegas 45 Preview & Faceoffs

    The final card of 2021 goes down tomorrow night in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, top-10 heavyweights Derrick Lewis (#3) and Chris Daukaus (#7) will slug it out. When these two big boys exchange fire, former police officer Daukaus will do so cautiously because of the power he knows Lewis possesses.

    All the while, Lewis will be swangin’ and bangin’ and doing everything he can to avoid being MMA’s answer to Rodney King. Should he be successful, he’d like to move on to the next challenge, two-time UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic.

    In his previous bout at UFC 265 against Ciryl Gane, Lewis admits that the pressure of vying for a UFC title in his hometown got to him. Tomorrow night, there will be a sparse and relatively quiet Apex crowd ready to behold another Black Beast explosion. Should Lewis earn another knockout tomorrow at Daukaus’ expense, he will stand alone as the UFC knockout record-holder.

    Check out the face-off between these two heavyweights below.

    In the co-main event, top-10 welterweights Stephen Thompson (#5) and Belal Muhammad (#10) will do battle. When Thompson first learned that this fight was booked, the UFC veteran was absolutely elated. He expects a fun, honest scrap between himself and Muhammad, unlike the way he feels his fight with Gilbert Burns went at UFC 264.

    Should Thompson come out on the losing end, Muhammad believes that should earn him the same opportunity that Thompson has had on two separate occasions: fighting for the world title. If not, a bout with the highly touted Khamzat Chimaev would also suffice for the Chicagoan.

    Here is the final face-off between these two ranked welterweights.

    Here are the other face-offs for tomorrow night’s main card bouts!

    Amanda Lemos vs. Angela Hill

    Raphael Assuncao vs. Ricky Simon

    Diego Ferreira vs. Mateusz Gamrot

    Cub Swanson vs. Darren Elkins

    This is a battle between two hardened UFC veterans. Cub Swanson recently revealed that there are some people in his inner circle that believe he should stop fighting. However, he hopes that big performances like the one he expects to turn in tomorrow will show them that he still has plenty left to offer the sport. Check out the face-off between these to battle-tested featherweights below.

    UFC Vegas 45 Weigh-In Results

    Below, you can find the full lineup for UFC Vegas 45 as well as the weigh-in results, courtesy of UFC.com.

    Main Card

    Main Event – Heavyweight Bout: Derrick Lewis (265) vs Chris Daukaus (235.5)

    Co-Main Event – Welterweight Bout: Stephen Thompson (170.5) vs Belal Muhammad (170.5)

    Women’s Strawweight Bout: Amanda Lemos (115) vs Angela Hill (115.5)

    Bantamweight Bout: Raphael Assuncao (136) vs Ricky Simon (135.5)

    Lightweight Bout: Diego Ferreira (156) vs Mateusz Gamrot (155.5)

    Featherweight Bout: Cub Swanson (145.5) vs Darren Elkins (145.5)

    PRELIMS

    Middleweight Bout: Dustin Stoltzfus (185.5) vs Gerald Meerschaert (185.5)

    Bantamweight Bout: Raoni Barcelos (135.5) vs Victory Henry (136)

    Heavyweight Bout: Justin Tafa (267)* vs Harry Hunsucker (238.5)

    Women’s Flyweight Bout: Sijara Eubanks (127.5)** vs Melissa Gatto (125)

    Featherweight Bout: Charles Jourdain (145.5) vs Andre Ewell (145)

    Women’s Featherweight Bout: Raquel Pennington (145) vs Macy Chiasson (148.5)***

    Heavyweight Bout: Don’Tale Mayes (256.5) vs Josh Parisian (262)

    Lightweight Bout: Jordan Leavitt (155.5) vs Matt Sayles (155.5)

    MMA News will have you covered with all the UFC Vegas 45 results and highlights tomorrow night!

  • Thompson: GSP Is The Welterweight GOAT Unless Usman Beats Me

    Stephen Thompson believes Kamaru Usman needs to get past him in order to surpass Georges St-Pierre as being the greatest UFC welterweight of all time.

    There has been a growing debate over who is the greatest welterweight of all time, Georges St-Pierre or Kamaru Usman? Thompson states GSP is the current GOAT but can think of one way that Usman can surpass him.

    “I think he can. I think he’s there. I think if he keeps doing what he’s doing, and gets past me, he will definitely be there. He’s gotta get past me,” said Thompson in an interview with RT Sport.

    Thompson, now 38 years old, is not losing hope for another title run and a chance to fight Usman. Thompson fought Tyron Woodley in back-to-back title fights in 2016 at UFC 205 and then four months later at UFC 209. Thompson fell short in both fights but was very close to touching gold the first time, as Woodley retained the belt with a majority draw.

    UFC 205 results: Tyron Woodley retains title in majority draw with Stephen Thompson | MMA Junkie
    Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

    Thompson was on the brink of a potential third title shot, but that slipped away as he lost to Gilbert Burns this past July at UFC 264. Prior to his loss, Thompson was on a two-fight win streak over Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque.

    A win over the 10th-ranked welterweight in Belal Muhammad in this Saturday night’s co-main event could get Thompson a step closer to one final title shot. Usman has already beaten three out of the top five welterweights (Colby Covington twice, Gilbert Burns, Leon Edwards), so the only other fighters that he would need to beat are Vicente Luque, who lost to Thompson before, and Thompson.

    Thompson believes a win this weekend can warrant enough for a title shot and that until Usman is able to be victorious over him, GSP is still the GOAT.

    “He’s running out of guys,” Thompson said. “They’re running out of guys to put up against him, and I know if I go out there and do what I need to do against Belal Muhammad, then I’ll be able to get that shot very soon. But until then, GSP will always be number one, for sure.”

    Georges St-Pierre currently has the most title wins in welterweight history with 12 compared to Usman’s 6. GSP also has the most wins in the division (19) while Usman has the record for most consecutive wins (15). Additionally, GSP has five finishes out of his 12 title-fight victories compared to Usman’s three finishes out of his six title-fight victories.

    Do you think Kamaru Usman can surpass GSP as the welterweight GOAT?

  • Stephen Thompson Explains Why He’s So Grateful For Muhammad Fight

    UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson is set for his second fight of 2021 this weekend, and he’s glad it’s coming against a “good person” like Belal Muhammad.

    This time last year, Thompson was gearing up to face fellow top-10 welterweight Geoff Neal in the main event of UFC Vegas 17. In a vintage performance on the feet, “Wonderboy” pieced up “Handz of Steel” on his way to a comfortable unanimous decision win, a triumph that firmly placed Thompson into title contention.

    Fast forward a year and it’s a different story. Thompson will be heading into the final card of this year hoping to resurrect his championship aspirations and re-enter the win column following a disappointing setback at the hands of fellow former title challenger Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 in July.

    In his way will be #10-ranked welterweight Belal Muhammad, who’s coming off a controlling victory over Demian Maia at UFC 263. “Remember The Name” will likely look to stifle Thompson’s incredible kickboxing skills in a similar way to Durinho’s approach.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXRprtqPa0g/

    Thompson Was Over The Moon To Accept Muhammad Fight

    In a sport where animosity and trash talk is prevalent, many find it refreshing to have a matchup fueled by respect and comradeship every now and then. Passionate back-and-forths can be entertaining, but some would argue it often goes too far, take the build-up to Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier 3, for example.

    One man who couldn’t be more opposite to McGregor in terms of conduct and pre-fight respect is Stephen Thompson. The reason behind his title of the UFC’s “NMF” was on full display while he discussed his upcoming fight during an appearance on Submission Radio. After admitting his relief at finding an opponent before the end of the year, “Wonderboy” didn’t have anything but nice words to say about Muhammad.

    “The UFC came to us and was like, ‘Hey, how does Belal Muhammad sound?’ This was about several weeks back (from the start of November), and I was in shape. I’m like, ‘Dude, thank you Belal, thank you.’ That’s what was going through my head, ‘Let’s make this happen.’ I love Belal Muhammad. He’s been trying to have me on his dang podcast forever, and I feel bad… every time it happens, something always messes up on my end.

    “I love the guy, man. I’m so happy that he wanted to take this fight because I wanted another fight in this year. I’ve been out the past few years with injuries, so it’s been fairly difficult for me to get in there… I’m just excited to face off against a guy like Belal Muhammad, and he’s funny, man. I think he’s great; good fighter, good person, good personality, and we’re gonna put on a show for the fans, for sure.”

    While this clash represents a crucial step in Thompson’s desire to mount a final run for the title and can perhaps be described as a must-win bout in that sense, it also represents a huge opportunity for Muhammad.

    After winning four straight, the 33-year-old had a similar chance to jump towards the top five in a March main event against Leon Edwards. After eye pokes led to a disappointing and painful no contest on that occasion, “Remember The Name” will aim to join the welterweight elite with a victory inside the Apex this Saturday.

    Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Vegas 45 co-main event, Stephen Thompson or Belal Muhammad?

  • Thompson: “Honorable” Muhammad Won’t Want To Win Like Burns

    UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson doesn’t expect upcoming opponent Belal Muhammad to approach their fight in the same way Gilbert Burns did at UFC 264 earlier this year.

    Thompson saw his immediate title hopes heavily dented when he met “Durinho” in the co-main event of 2021’s second Conor McGregor-headlined pay-per-view. Heading into the contest, “Wonderboy” rode a two-fight win streak that featured unanimous decision triumphs over Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.

    Given that he remains one of the few names Kamaru Usman is yet to face at the top of the division, a victory over Burns would seemingly have led to another shot at UFC gold for Thompson. Unfortunately for him, that’s not how things played out inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.

    Instead, Thompson’s success for the limited time the fight stayed on the feet was stifled by Burns’ desire to keep the contest on the mat. After controlling “Wonderboy” for much of the fight, the Brazilian was awarded a unanimous decision victory.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CRLuEZ2pEu8/

    Thompson Hopes To Showcase His Takedown Defense This Time Around

    Thompson’s wish to secure a chance to bounce back fast with another fight before the close of the year was granted when Muhammad accepted the clash for the last event of 2021. The pair will collide in the co-main event of UFC Vegas 45 this Saturday night.

    Despite facing an opponent with a similar style to Burns’, albeit perhaps less imposing, Thompson is raring to showcase the wrestling and takedown defense he knows he possesses.

    During a recent interview with RT Sport MMA, “Wonderboy” suggested “Remember The Name” won’t employ the same gameplan as Burns did in July. According to the 38-year-old, Muhammad is too “honorable” to want to win like that.

    “Number one, what really excites me is Belal Muhammad is very similar to my last opponent, Gilbert Burns, with the wrestling, with the jiu-jitsu. Now, I failed to do what I know I can do out in the Octagon against Gilbert Burns. It’s kinda hard to fight somebody, number one, who doesn’t really wanna fight, they just wanna hold you down, but knowing that Belal Muhammad is more of a fighter; I feel like he’s an honorable man, he really doesn’t want to win a fight that way. He’s fairly good everywhere, Belal Muhammad.

    “Not only that, it will allow me to showcase the talent that I have, especially when it comes to the takedown defense, the wrestling. I wasn’t able to do that in my last fight. So going out there against somebody who’s similar to Gilbert Burns, go out there and beat this guy, will make it all worth it, for sure.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CXRprtqPa0g/

    Despite his setback earlier this year, Thompson isn’t giving up hope of mounting another title run. Given that he’s yet to face Usman, and because of the unique threat he poses to any welterweight, including “The Nigerian Nightmare,” a win this weekend and a victory over a top contender in 2022 could set the veteran up for his third championship fight in the UFC.

    Having revealed his desire to become the oldest fighter in UFC history, it’s clear Thompson won’t be hanging up his gloves and leaving the promotion beltless without a fight.

    Who do you think will have their hand raised in the UFC Vegas 45 co-main event, Stephen Thompson or Belal Muhammad?

  • Stephen Thompson & Tyron Woodley Involved In Cobra Kai Series

    Stephen Thompson reveals he and former rival Tyron Woodley have been involved in some way with the Netflix smash hit Cobra Kai.

    Cobra Kai is crushing the views. The sequel to the 1980s The Karate Kid films is hailed as a solid mix of drama, martial-arts action, and a heavy dose of nostalgia for some older viewers. 

    It’s no surprise that a series so entrenched in martial arts is reaching out to actual martial artists. And there may have been no better choice for a cameo than real-life karateka, Stephen Thompson. 

    The former title challenger revealed that not only is he involved with the show, but so is a former MMA champion turned boxer in Tyron Woodley. The revelation came when “Wonderboy” was asked about the upcoming Woodley vs. Jake Paul rematch on a recent episode of The MMA Hour (h/t MiddleEasy).

    “I think so, he’s got to (win). I think Tyron gets it,” Thompson said before letting slip that they are both to feature in Cobra Kai. “I chatted with him not too long doing some Cobra Kai stuff. I can’t really give too much away but we were there hanging out [on set], and yeah, the beef has been squashed. Since then, he’s awesome and fun to hang out with while we were there. I didn’t get to hang out with him a ton but while we were there on set.”

    Cobra Kai Never Die

    Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley face off ahead of their world title fight.

    Thompson wouldn’t divulge their role but did say they would not be in the forthcoming season that releases later this month.

    It may be some time before we see the fighters on the small screen in an acting capacity, but both men will be active this weekend in very different roles. Stephen Thompson is set to take on Belal Muhammed in the co-main event of UFV Vegas 45 on Saturday. On the same night, Woodley looks for revenge against Jake Paul in a rematch of their October bout. 

    Will you be tuning in if Stephen Thompson and Tyron Woodley are announced to appear on an episode of Cobra Kai?

  • Stephen Thompson Wants To Become The Oldest Fighter In UFC History

    Stephen Thompson hopes his already illustrious MMA career can be record-breaking by the time he retires.

    The experienced UFC welterweight said recently that he wants to compete for many years to come, hoping to eventually become the oldest fighter in the promotion’s history.

    Thompson still has a long way to go before he can call himself the oldest to grace the UFC octagon. For example, former UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy Couture was 47 years old when he fought in his final MMA bout, losing to Lyoto Machida in 2011.

    Nonetheless, the way Thompson feels now indicates that he has a lot left in the tank. He revealed his optimistic career aspirations in a recent interview on The MMA Hour.

    “I want to break records, man. I wanna be the oldest guy who ever fought in the UFC. They are going to have to bring out a senior division or something,” he said, joking in his interview. “It’s the plan. I will do this as long as my body will let me or when my dad says I’m done.” (H/T Sportskeeda)

    The fighting style of Thompson could potentially be a contributing factor for his longevity in the sport. The karate-base fighter has only been finished in one of his fights and has taken little damage in many of his other showings.

    Thompson Isn’t Going Anywhere Soon

    Stephen Thompson, Belal Muhammad
    Stephen Thompson, Belal Muhammad (Image Credits: Jeff Bottari/Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC)

    Also in the interview, Thompson gave credit to his team for how he is currently progressing as a fighter.

    “I have always loved fighting, but I never thought that I would be where I am today and still feeling the way I do. And obviously, that has a lot to do with the coaches and the way I’m training so hats off to those guys.”

    It’s uncertain whether Thompson can become the oldest fighter in UFC’s history. However, it’s safe to say the welterweight likely won’t be departing the sport soon. Thompson’s management announced earlier this week that he reached a new deal that will keep him on the UFC roster.

    Thompson said on The MMA Hour that his new contract is a six-fight deal.

    Thompson will return to the Octagon this Saturday when he faces rising contender Belal Muhammad. The co-main event fight is part of UFC’s final event of the year.

    Do you think Stephen Thompson can become one of the oldest fighters in UFC history?