Stephen Thompson claims Santiago Ponzinibbio turned down a bout with him.
Thompson is currently left without an opponent. While it was initially believed that “Wonderboy” would be taking on Robbie Lawler next month, that bout ended up going to Ben Askren. The number four ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight had his sights set on someone else, but it appears that option is unavailable as well.
“Wonderboy” Says “Gente Boa” Declined A Bout
Thompson recently spoke to BJPenn.com‘s Chris Taylor. “Wonderboy” said Ponzinibbio chose to decline a bout against him:
“It was disappointing to lose out on the Lawler fight. It was kind of crazy because I was pushing for that fight so hard and we were getting back that (Robbie) wouldn’t be ready and that he was still injured. And then suddenly the next thing we know he is fighting Ben Askren. [There’s] nothing yet in terms of a new opponent. I was looking to fight Ponzinibbio, but he turned it down to be honest. Not sure if it was due to an injury or what. Hopefully we will hear something soon.”
Ponzinibbio is coming off a fifth-round knockout victory over Neil Magny. The win bumped “Gente Boa” up to the seventh spot on the UFC welterweight rankings. Meanwhile, Thompson is coming off a controversial unanimous decision defeat to Darren Till.
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