Stephen Thompson discloses short-notice alternate offered for UFC 291 and why he had to turn it down

Stephen Thompson was scheduled to face Michel Pereira at UFC 291 last month. However, the bout was cancelled after Pereira came in three pounds overweight and 'Wonderboy' refused to take it.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Thompson shared that he was offered a bout with Jack Della Maddelena at UFC 293 in Australia before adding:

"I the told UFC, 'Look, I'll fight the JDM's, I will fight the Ian Garry's, just give me a full training camp,' and then a few days later, lo and behold tomorrow, Kamaru Usman calls me out?... Let's freaking go.

"I mean, I was willing to fight the JDMs, the Ian Garrys, the Shavkat [Rakhmanovs], but then you got the guy, the No. 1 contender, the former UFC champ, one of the greatest fighters, called me out."

The No. 7-ranked welterweight continued:

"This was a guy I thought I would face one day and never did, and I think he was thinking the same thing, and I was just like, 'Let's make this fight happen. Are you kidding me?'

"I've got a small window to kind of do what I want to do with the fight game. I'm 40 years old, and when I see a chance to go for another title shot before it's over, when Kamaru Usman calls me out, I'm like, 'Dude, no brainer. No brainer.'"

Check out Stephen Thompson's comments on turning down bouts and facing Kamaru Usman below (starting at the 1:48 mark):

Thompson added that the bout with Usman will get him back into the title conversation. 'Wonderboy' previously challenged Tyron Woodley for the welterweight title at UFC 205 and UFC 209.

---

Stephen Thompson sends a message to the welterweight division

Following the cancellation of his UFC 291 bout against Michel Pereiera, Stephen Thompson sent a message to the welterweight division. During a recent appearance on "The MMA Hour" with Ariel Helwani, he stated:

"I want everybody to know right now in the 170 [pound] division that if you're going to fight me now, you better be on weight or it's not going to happen. I'm in a situation now, in a place in my career, where I want to fight fairly, man. I don't want to play any games. I don't want to play any games."

Check out Stephen Thompson's comments on the welterweight division below:

Thompson added that he wants his opponents to take things seriously and show professionalism. The No. 7-ranked welterweight indicated that he would not take the bout if his opponent misses weight and added that he hopes more fighters follow suit.