Stephen Thompson is thinking beyond the dollar signs.
Next Saturday night (March 4) Stephen Thompson will get another shot at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) welterweight title. He’ll go one-on-one with champion Tyron Woodley in a rematch from their UFC 205 bout back in Nov. 2016.
That fight was ruled a majority draw and “The Chosen One” kept his championship as a result. When “Wonderboy” steps inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, he’ll look to become a UFC title holder for the first time in his professional mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
It’s that aspect of the sport that drives Thompson. The No. 1 ranked UFC welterweight has said he isn’t interested in taking fights just to earn a significant payday. He’s in the sport to become the best fighter he can possibly be.
That’s what “Wonderboy” told Damon Martin on the Fight Society podcast (via FOX Sports). The huge checks often come with a fight against current UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor.
Thompson said he would accept a bout with “Notorious,” but it isn’t for the money, it’s to prove he’s the best:
“Yeah for me it is about fighting the best people in the world and proving that I am the best fighter, not only to the world but to myself. I’ve been doing this since I was three years old and this is who I am. This is my life and I want to be the best. I do it for the honor and the glory and it’s not about that big paycheck. Everybody asks ‘would you fight Conor McGregor?’ — of course I’d fight Conor McGregor but it’s not because of the money. It’s because he’s such a huge martial artist and everybody considers themselves the best if you fight Conor McGregor, if you beat Conor McGregor. I look at it like that.”
