Former UFC welterweight title challenger Stephen Thompson likes the idea of fighting Ian Machado Garry, but he doubts it’ll happen.
Stylistically, Garry (15-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is an appealing matchup for Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC), but he acknowledges that he’s not on “The Future’s” radar. Thompson, 41, is no longer chasing UFC gold but is confident he can still compete with top contenders. When asked his thoughts on potential matchups with Garry and Michael Page, “Wonderboy” explained why Garry is more appealing.
“I think it would be great, especially Ian Garry,” Thompson said on the “Believe You Me” podcast. “But at this point in time, I kind of see where he’s at. Like, he’s just looking for the gold. I don’t think he would even want to give me a chance. I’m ranked No. 9. He’s close to the title. I think he’s looking for that next. And MVP, I think it would be – I think the fans would love that fight. That’s the thing. I think it would just be that.
“Just moving around and staring at each other the whole time. We’re both counter strikers, you know. We got that karate background, we want guys to come forward so they run into our techniques, so we can work our angles, so we can blitz. But when you have another counter striker on the other side of the octagon with you, it could possibly be one of the most boring fights ever, and I think people would boo it. I think people would boo that fight. I really do, man.”
Garry remained unbeaten when he scored a close decision win over Page at UFC 303. Meanwhile, Thompson will look to rebound when he meets rising contender Joaquin Buckley (19-6 MMA, 9-4 UFC) Oct. 5 at UFC 307 (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+) from Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
“What made the Ian Garry fight so special and exciting was Ian Garry just came forward,” Thompson said. “He wanted to come forward. He wanted to get close, which can play into ‘MVP’s’ hands, but obviously Ian Garry got the best of him that night.
“I would love to have that fight with Ian Garry for sure, but I think he’s just going to go for the title. But I don’t mind fighting these young bucks like Joaquin Buckley and Kevin Holland and all these guys. It’s fun to still test myself against these guys coming up.”
