Stephen Thompson wants to main event the UFC’s debut in his home state of South Carolina, and he knows exactly who he’d want to share the Octagon with for the occasion.
The 35-year-old former former 170-pound title challenger comes off a disappointing unanimous decision loss to Darren Till in England this past May. In order to get back to the welterweight title conversation as fast as possible, he’d need a big win over an even bigger opponent. Enter Robbie Lawler.
Lawler is a former 170-pound champion who is always ready to stand-and-bang in the middle of the cage. “The Ruthless One” has dropped two of his last four Octagon appearances. His most recent fight saw him succumb to Rafael dos Anjos via lopsided unanimous decision in December.
Recently speaking to MMA Junkie, Thompson stated that a recent conversation with UFC President Dana White leads him to believe the promotion could be gearing up to make their debut in South Carolina soon:
“We took him up on (his offer),” Thompson said. “We chatted back and forth, and I think that’s something they’re definitely excited about and looking forward to. Hopefully we can get something going by the end of the year. If not that, the beginning of next year.”
Thompson has a special relationship with Greenville, South Carolina’s Bon Secours Wellness Arena. He fought in the venue back in 2011 before signing with the UFC and would love to come back to main event a show for the promotion seven years later:
“We have an awesome venue here,” Thompson said. “It seats a hundred more than the (MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas). I did my very first MMA fight at the arena, and we packed it out. I know we can.
“That’s something we’re just trying to work on. We want some more fights down south. It’s something we’re talking about with Dana White, and we want to make that happen. If not, it would be cool to fight again in Madison Square Garden.”
Both Thompson and Robbie Lawler are currently nursing injuries at the moment, leading “Wonderboy” to conclude that they might be ready to scrap around the same time. Thompson would love an opportunity to test himself against a former UFC welterweight champion:
“With Robbie Lawler, he’s coming off of a knee injury,” Thompson said. “I was just thinking, ‘Robbie Lawler’s out for a little bit. I might be out for a little bit. Let’s call for Robbie Lawler and maybe the timing will be fairly right.’
“Hopefully we can fight each other.”
What do you think about a potential Thompson vs. Lawler match-up? Let us know in the comments!
