Stephen Thompson believes UFC welterweight champ Kamaru Usman should fight him next

Forget about the beef with Jorge Masvidal, Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson believes UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman should fight him next.

After Usman defeated former teammate Gilbert Burns at UFC 258 recently, he called out Masvidal, whom he had already defeated last summer.

Masvidal had accepted their first fight on short notice, losing a decision to Usman. The champ doesn’t like that Masvidal used that as an excuse for the loss, also wanting to finish him this time around.

“I’ll give you a whole training camp and this time I’ll stop him,” Usman said. “I promise you. That’s why I was disappointed in myself that last fight, because I know I could stop him.”

Thompson wasn’t keen on Usman wanting to fight Masvidal again, although he understands why he might.

“(Masvidal) clearly lost. I know it was short notice, but I just think that Kamaru Usman knows. It’s smart for him, he knows he can beat him for a high pay day, it’s a big name, there is beef there, so it makes sense on his part,” Thompson told MMA Fighting.

“As a fan and as a fighter, and as someone who has been at the top of the game and trying to get title fights, it doesn’t make sense for that to happen. Fight somebody you haven’t fought yet.

“You beat pretty much everybody except me in the top-five. That’s it. Of course, you’ve got Michael Chiesa who is number six, he hasn’t fought Michael Chiesa either. But keep on going down the line. You beat everyone up here, who’s next? It’s this guy.”

Though Usman fished for the Masvidal bout, he has since pulled it back a bit. He recently took to social media to say he’s not feeling “generous anymore. Anyone can get it.”

That leads Thompson to believing he has a shot at landing the fight with Usman.

“Come on Usman. Come on, man. Fight somebody you haven’t fought yet.”