Stephen Thompson doesn’t plan to rush his return to the Octagon.
Thompson was in action last month against Anthony Pettis. For the first time in his professional mixed martial arts career, Thompson was knocked out. “Wonderboy” would like to get back to business, but he wants to ensure his brain is fully healed first.
Thompson Says August Return Is A Possibility
Bloody Elbow was able to catch up with Thompson following the loss to Pettis. “Wonderboy” talked about the importance of being patience with his return:
“Possibly August. I’ll be able to have some contact with sparring at the end of June. I’m staying in shape, but I still want to keep this [point to brain] right. Where I can get some good sparring in and a good training camp, possibly August I’m thinking. Michael Bisping, in one of his last fights, he stepped out there too soon. He had a brutal fight with Georges St-Pierre and then real quick jumped in against Kelvin Gastelum and just got put away. If you do that, if you step out there too soon… this is your livelihood. If you want to do this for years to come, you have to take care of yourself. You can’t condition the brain. You can condition the body, but you can’t condition the brain. You have to take it slow.”
Thompson hasn’t emerged victorious since Nov. 2017. He’s gone 1-3 in his last four outings. MMA News will keep you up to speed on Thompson’s return.
