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Top-ranked UFC welterweight Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson is eyeing a fight with either Kevin Holland or Michel Pereira.
Wonderboy (16-6-1), who sits at No. 7 in the official UFC standings, is 0-2 in his last two clashes, dropping unanimous decisions to Gilbert Burns and Belal Muhammad. Both combatants utilized their wrestling and grappling to control Wonderboy on the mat. And the karate fighter is ready to take on a fighter who will keep the contest on its feet.
Speaking recently with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Wonderboy explained why he hasn’t been booked for a fight despite not competing for six months. In short, Thompson wants to find the right match-up and isn’t rushing back into the Octagon until he finds it.
“Yeah…I mean, it’s trying to find the right fights,” Wonderboy said via Low Kick MMA. “The last two guys have literally just shot in and held me down and…we wanna make sure we get a good, exciting fight for the next one. We don’t want someone who just shoots in the whole time…I think that maybe has a lot to do with why it takes so long.”
Thompson is also linked to the Karate Combat promotion and instructs the martial art as well, something he’s “happy” to be doing while he sits on the shelf.
Wonderboy Listed Holland & Pereira as Possible Opponents
Two fighters who would stand and trade with Wonderboy are Holland (23-7, 1 N/C) and Pereira (28-11, 2 N/C). Holland dropped down to welterweight from middleweight earlier this year, and he’s racked up two finishes since doing so.
He took out Alex Oliveira via TKO in March and caught Tim Means in a D’Arce choke earlier this month. With 13 KO/TKO wins in his professional mixed martial arts career, “Trailblazer” never shies away from a striking battle.
And that goes for Pereira as well. The Brazilian is known for his unorthodox and wild tactics on the feet. He’s also ranked No. 14 in the division and is riding a five-fight win streak. He boasts 10 wins via KO/TKO.
Pereira’s last win came in May when he edged Santiago Ponzinibbio on the scorecards via split decision in what was the UFC event’s “Fight of the Night.”
“I mean there’s [Michel] Pereira, who just beat [Santiago] Ponzinibbi,” Wonderboy said. “I know he’s calling out Sean Brady at the moment… there’s also Kevin Holland, who’s just coming off of a win… he makes the cut to 170 pretty easily.”
Wonderboy Is Also Down for a Fight With Former UFC 170-Pound Champion Robbie Lawler
Another fighter who Wonderboy would like to share the cage with is former UFC welterweight king Robbie Lawler. Despite competing in the same division for years, the two have never crossed paths.
“Ruthless” is scheduled to fight next weekend at UFC 276 during the preliminary card. And should Lawler get past his opponent Bryan Barberena, that could be another viable option for Wonderboy.
“Yeah, absolutely,” Thompson said. “I’ve been trying to get that fight since he was champion…I’ll be watching that fight [Lawler vs Brian Barbarena] very closely…I think that would be a fun one for sure, but it doesn’t matter to be honest.”
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