Stephen Thompson News

Adam Martin - July 11, 2021

UFC welterweight title contender Gilbert Burns issued a statement following his unanimous decision win over Stephen Thompson at UFC 264. Burns entered the fight against Thompson as the slight underdog, but he picked up the upset victory as he was able to take down and control Thompson on the ground to win a unanimous decision on all three of the judges’ scorecards. Following a TKO loss to UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman earlier this year at UFC 258, Burns needed to bounce back with a win over Thompson to keep his No. 2 ranking and he did just that.

Adam D Martin - July 11, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson issued a statement following his unanimous decision loss at UFC 264 to Gilbert Burns. Thompson was expected to be in contention to get a title shot against UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman with a win over Burns at UFC 264, but the fight did not go his way at all. Despite Thompson having statistically some of the best takedown defense in the UFC welterweight division, Burns was still able to get him down to the ground in all three rounds and control him as he was able to pull off a small upset with a decision victory.

Adam D Martin - July 11, 2021

UFC president Dana White reacted to Gilbert Burns defeating Stephen Thompson at UFC 264, saying that “it wasn’t a good fight, but he won.” Burns and Thompson were the co-headliners underneath the main event trilogy fight between lightweight stars Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor. Although he entered the fight as the betting favorite, Thompson lost the match as Burns was able to take him down and control him on the mat to win a unanimous decision win. It wasn’t the most exciting fight to watch by any means, but Burns did what he had to do to go out there and get the win.

Chris Taylor - July 10, 2021

Tonight’s UFC 264 event was co-headlined by a key welterweight matchup between former division title challengers Stephen Thompson and Gilbert Burns. Thompson (16-5-1 MMA) had entered the contest on a two-fight winning streak, this after earning back-to-back unanimous decision victories over Vicente Luque and Goeff Neal.

Cole Shelton - July 9, 2021

Jorge Masvidal is looking to fight the winner of Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson. Masvidal is coming off back-to-back losses to Kamaru Usman for the welterweight title and says he’s looking to return in the fall against any top-five opponent. His manager mentioned Nick Diaz and Colby Covington as possible options, but Diaz is targeted to return against Robbie Lawler while Covington will face Usman for the belt. With that, “Gamebred” says he wants to fight the winner of Burns-Thompson.

Cole Shelton - July 9, 2021

Stephen Thompson knows he’s a bad matchup for the current welterweight champ, Kamaru Usman. Thompson is set to face Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 264. If he wins, he could very well get a title shot due to the fact he’s the only fighter in the top-five that Usman hasn’t fought. If he does end up getting the title shot, “Wonderboy” knows there’s no chance the champ will strike with him. Instead, he’ll go back to the wrestler, grinding style that got him the title.

Cole Shelton - July 6, 2021

Stephen Thompson is excited to finally fight up in the ranks. Ever since Thompson had his back-to-back fights against Tyron Woodley for the title his next five fights were fighters ranked below him. Yet, on Saturday night at UFC 264 that will change as he faces the second-ranked welterweight, Gilbert Burns in a scrap Thompson is excited about.

Cole Shelton - July 6, 2021

The 43rd episode of Just Scrap Radio on BJPENN with Cole Shelton is here ahead of UFC 264. We’re first joined by one-half of the co-main event and the fourth-ranked welterweight, Stephen Thompson (3:13). Next, UFC welterweight, Max Griffin (22:00) joins the show. Closing out the program is Dustin Poirier’s strength and conditioning coach, Phil Daru (38:39).

Adam Martin - July 4, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson showed off his incredible physical transformation during his UFC 264 training camp. Thompson steps back into the Octagon next Saturday when he faces off against Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of the UFC 264 pay-per-view. “Wonderboy” has made it clear that he wants to fight UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman next, and a big win over Burns would certainly put him in the title conversation at 170lbs. Based on the photos we are seeing from his training camp, it appears that Thompson has left no stone unturned.

Adam D Martin - June 29, 2021

Gilbert Burns broke down his upcoming matchup with Stephen Thompson at UFC 264, saying that “we have a very different style.” Burns and Thompson meet in the co-main event of next weekend’s UFC 264 pay-per-view blockbuster event. This is a very important fight at 170lbs as both Burns and Thompson are ranked in the top-five of the division and looking to get closer to a title shot. Burns, of course, lost in his chance to become the UFC welterweight champion earlier this year when he was knocked out by Kamaru Usman at UFC 258, but Thompson hasn’t fought the champ yet and knows a win over Burns could get him where he wants to go. It’s a very fun fight between two fighters who are among the very best the 170lbs weight class has to offer.

Adam D Martin - June 23, 2021

UFC welterweight Colby Covington slammed divisional rival Stephen Thompson, calling him a “joke” and saying “he should probably just retire.” Covington is set to face UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in a rematch later this year for the 170lbs gold, but Thompson is hopeful that he will jump past Covington in the title queue with a win over Gilbert Burns at UFC 264 next month. As the highest-ranked fighter who hasn’t fought Usman yet, Thompson believes that a big win over Burns could help him jump past Covington and Leon Edwards when it comes to the title shot order.

Harry Kettle - June 23, 2021

Nate Diaz has issued his response following a suggestion from Stephen Thompson that he should go back down to lightweight. It’s well known that “Wonderboy” is one of the nicest guys in mixed martial arts but beneath that exterior, he’s also one of the most dangerous welterweights on the planet – and he’s been proving that for years now.

Adam D Martin - June 22, 2021

Stephen Thompson says he’s a “bad matchup” for UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman if the two ever end up fighting inside the Octagon. Thompson is the No. 4 ranked welterweight in the UFC and he returns to the cage this summer when he takes on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 264 next month. Thompson has made it clear that he wants to fight for the belt should he get past Burns, and considering he’s the highest-ranked fighter who the champion hasn’t fought yet, there is certainly a good chance that “Wonderboy” could be fighting for the belt should he get past Burns in July. If Thompson gets his shot at Usman, he believes he can win the belt.

Adam D Martin - June 20, 2021

The upcoming five-fight UFC 264 main card is now official, and welterweights Stephen Thompson and Gilbert Burns serve as the co-headliner. UFC 264 takes place on July 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main event of the evening is a five-round lightweight trilogy bout between bitter rivals Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. Also on the main card is a welterweight bout between Thompson and Burns, which could very well serve as a potential No. 1 contender fight at 170lbs. Aside from those two bouts, the UFC 264 pay-per-view bout also features three other quality main card bouts. Take a look at the complete UFC 264 pay-per-view main card below.

Adam D Martin - May 26, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson explained why it would be a “bad idea” for Jake Paul to fight Tyron Woodley in a boxing match. Thompson has fought Woodley twice in the UFC, the first time fighting to a majority draw and then losing a majority decision in the rematch, so he knows “The Chosen One” better than anyone. Recently, Woodley completed his UFC contract and he is now a free agent. One of the fights that have been bandied about for him by fans and media is a boxing match against Paul. At this point, we aren’t sure if this fight will end up happening, but based on their previous run-in, it seems as though Woodley and Paul are interested in it.

Adam D Martin - May 3, 2021

UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson is confident that his brother-in-law Chris Weidman will fight in the UFC Octagon once again. Thompson was in the corner of Weidman last weekend at UFC 261 when he suffered one of the worst injuries we have ever seen in the history of the sport when Weidman broke his leg on a checked kick against Uriah Hall. Immediately after throwing the kick, Weidman’s leg snapped in half and he went down to the mat right away. Weidman was rushed to hospital and had surgery on his leg and is expected to make a full recovery. However, he is unable to walk at the moment and won’t be able to start training hard for 6-12 months.

Adam D Martin - April 4, 2021

The opening betting odds have been released for two future fights UFC: Gilbert Burns vs. Stephen Thompson and Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov. Burns vs. Thompson is set to take place at UFC 264 on July 10 as a three-round bout, while Gane vs. Volkov will go down on June 26 in a five-round main event. The sportsbooks wasted no time getting the opening odds out for both of these fights. Take a look at the opening odds for both Burns vs. Thompson and Gane vs. Volkov below (via BestFightOdds).

Chris Taylor - April 2, 2021

A huge welterweight bout has been added to UFC 264, as ESPN is reporting that former title challengers Stephen Thompson and Gilbert Burns will collide on July 10. Thompson (16-4-1 MMA) is coming off of back-to-back unanimous decision victories over perennial division contenders Geoff Neal and Vicente Luque in his most recent Octagon appearances. ‘Wonderboy’ has gone 3-3 over his past six fight overall.