Stephen Thompson believes he should be the one to welcome Nick Diaz back to the UFC.
Recently, Diaz’s manager said his client would be coming back in 2021. That caused many UFC welterweight and middleweights to call for the fight but for Thompson, he believes he is the perfect fight for the elder Diaz brother.
“I think it would be a great test back for him,” Thompson said on Submission Radio (h/t MMAFighting). “I’m ranked No. 6 right now. Obviously, he’s trying to move up the rankings, if he beats somebody in the top-10, maybe one or two more fights and he could be fighting for the title because he’s got a name. We’ve seen guys do that, guys who are popular in the division.”
Stephen Thompson has not fought since he beat Vicente Luque at UFC 244 last November.
So, he is eager to get back into the Octagon and after watching Diaz’s past fights, he believes their styles make for a very exciting fight.
“Just from looking back at his old fights, he’s obviously got a really long range, he’s got cardio for days, he beats people with volume,” Thompson said. “It’s not like he hits you with that one-hitter-quitter knockout, he breaks you down over and over and over. You’ve seen him do that with high-level strikers. He comes forward and beats you with volume. So for a guy like that, you’re gonna have to use something that’s longer than his arms, which are my legs. So my movement, my leg kicks.
“I just think it would be an exciting fight for those true martial artists out there who just love the chess match, love the game. That’s what makes the fight game fun for me, trying to figure out my opponent.”
