Stephen Thompson would love to be honored in the UFC Hall of Fame someday.
Thompson (17-7-1 MMA, 12-7-1 UFC) never won UFC gold but is a former two-time welterweight title challenger. He battled Tyron Woodley to a draw in their first title fight, then was edged out in a majority decision loss in their rematch.
“Wonderboy’s” resume includes finishes over former UFC champions Robert Whittaker and Johny Hendricks, as well as wins over former title challengers Rory MacDonald and Jorge Masvidal.
“I’m fully content in what I’m doing because I’m doing it for myself, not because I want something,” Thompson said in an interview with “Responsible Gambling.” “I’m fully content with who I’m fighting and when I’m fighting. I don’t need anything from the UFC.
“I’ve been with them for a very long time and have done the best I can to represent who I am and the UFC. It would be cool to go down in UFC history. It would be cool to be able to do that, to be in the Hall of Fame. I think that would be sick.”
Thompson, 41, is scheduled to take on streaking contender Joaquin Buckley Oct. 5 at UFC 307. He has no issue accepting fights with rising contenders, previously snapping the winning streaks of Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque.
“I’m a veteran of the game,” Thompson said. “I’ve been in the top 10 since 2014, 2015, something like that, maybe even before that. So, I’ve been at the top for a long time. I think people are looking at me as that gatekeeper to make it to that top.
“I always look at the positive side of things, so I think it’s pretty cool people want to fight me because they know in order to make it to the top, you have to beat ‘Wonderboy,’ which to me is a really cool thing.”
Thompson is still trucking and has no intentions of retiring just yet.
“When I put the gloves down in the octagon, I don’t think that means I’m done for good, maybe just with MMA,” Thompson said. “It’s the wrestling that’s more damaging to my body than anything else. But I feel like I can strike for days. I can kickbox anybody.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.