Welterweight veteran Stephen Thompson has made one special request for the final fight on his UFC contract.
At age 43, Thompson is the oldest fighter on the UFC roster, just two weeks older than Jan Blachowicz. Though he is nicknamed “Wonderboy,” he is more like “Wonderman” these days, given his age.
Thompson knows that the end is coming soon. But he has one more fight left on his contract, and he has one special request for it.
Stephen Thompson Wants to Fight at Madison Square Garden
Speaking to James Lynch of Home of Fight, Thompson said that his final request for the UFC is to fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City in November at UFC 334.
“I’m in talks with the UFC right now, and we’re looking at Madison Square Garden in November. So, back at MSG. I love fighting at MSG. Spent a lot of time in Long Island, so New York is kind of like my home away from home. But, yeah, that’s kind of what we’re shooting for,” Thompson said (via MMAjunkie.com).
“I don’t have an opponent yet, so we’ll see where that ends up, but that is the plan: Madison Square Garden, November 14th, got to make it happen. I’ve actually got one fight left on my contract. So, yeah, one fight left. We’re looking at November, and we’ll see, man. We’ll see who we get. We’re kind of looking at the roster, trying to find a good fight, good barn burner, if you will, for that card for sure.”
Given that Thompson has been such a good soldier for the company over the years, it is very likely that the UFC will acquiesce to his request and give him what he wants, letting him hang up his gloves in the storied hallowed halls of MSG.
Potential Opponents for Stephen Thompson’s Final UFC Bout
As for who he could face in his final UFC fight, Thompson isn’t sure who the UFC matchmakers have in mind for him right now.
He did plan on calling out fellow veteran striker Santiago Ponzinibbio, but after Ponzinibbio got brutally knocked out by Sam Patterson at UFC Abu Dhabi, Thompson knows he has to look elsewhere for his final huckleberry.
“And for me, I don’t know where to look because I don’t know what’s allowed. It’s been a long time since I was out of the top 10, right? So, I don’t know what’s allowed. Like, can I pick somebody above me? It’s been a while, so I’m not really sure what I can touch, what I can’t. So, we’re just looking at the roster right now, something that makes sense,” Thompson said.
“I was actually looking at Ponzinibbio, but he just ended up getting knocked out recently. So, that’s a no-go. But we don’t know, man. We don’t know. I figured Ponzinibbio because he’s a striker. He’ll bring the fight, he’s exciting, too, but he ended up getting knocked out, so that’s not going to happen. So, back to the drawing board. We’ll see.”
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