Stephen Thompson wants to be remembered as the greatest striker in UFC history, but he faces some stiff competition for the coveted title.
‘Wonderboy’ will fight 17-0 contender Shavkat Rakhmonov in his 25th professional MMA bout at UFC 296 in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Thompson is a big underdog ahead of UFC 296Credit: Getty Images – Getty
The winner will edge one step closer to a shot at welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who defends his belt against Colby Covington in the main event this weekend, while the loser will fall down the ranks.
At 40 years old, any setback could end Thompson’s career.
The decorated karate expert holds big knockout wins over former UFC middleweight king Robert Whittaker and ex-welterweight titleholder Johny Hendricks.
Thompson has also beaten top contenders Jorge Masvidal, Rory MacDonald, Vicente Luque, Geoff Neal, and Kevin Holland during his 11-year run with MMA’s premier promotion.
At the peak of his powers, the South Carolina native pushed UFC welterweight legend Tyron Woodley to the brink of defeat in back-to-back fights.
Now, he hopes to cement his legacy with one final UFC title charge.
“I just want to be the best striker who ever stepped out there in the Octagon, that’s the goal,” Thompson told talkSPORT.com.
“I started in the UFC when they were still specialists. You had specialist grapplers. Specialist strikers. You had the Anderson Silva’s and Damian Maia’s.
‘Wonderboy’ is coming to the end of his career, but he’s still got big goals.Credit: Getty
McGregor might have something to say about his ‘greatest striker’ aimCredit: @wonderboymma – instagram
“You know, I’m kind of one of the last ones. A lot of these guys out there have started in mixed martial arts, they didn’t come from just a striking background or just a jiu-jitsu background, they come up knowing everything.
“The goal is always the title… I don’t want to be known as a gatekeeper.
“I want to keep moving to the top and that’s the goal to become champ. Hopefully, we can do that soon before my time is up and I want to give it one more run.”
Conor McGregor is just one of the many fighters who will have something to say about Thompson’s desire to be known as the UFC’s greatest striker.
Max Holloway, Israel Adesanya, Alex Pereira, Dustin Poirier, Jose Aldo, Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic and Anderson Silva are just some of the other UFC stars with their eyes on the same prize.
Only time will tell if MMA fans will ever end their greatest striker debate, but one thing is certain, Thompson’s name will always come up during the conversation.
