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Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson recently opened up about the current landscape of the welterweight division and took aim at two strikers that he is interested in fighting. Thompson highlighted their respective status in the division and believes it would make for appealing matchups.
Thompson has been a fixture in the UFC welterweight rankings for a decade and has earned many impressive wins and has taken on all comers in the division. The 42-year-old is looking to get back on track as he is coming off back-to-back losses to top contenders Shavkat Rakhmonov and Joaquin Buckley.
In his latest conversation with Inside Fighting, Thompson named Carlos Prates and Michael Morales as potential opponents he would be interested in testing himself against. He expressed his willingness to compete against surging contenders and mentioned that that's how he was able to ascend the rankings earlier in his career:
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"If it wasn't for the guys that were ranked above me, I wouldn't be where I am today. So, I don't mind giving those guys a chance to prove themselves to come up... Carlos Prates... I loved watching Michael Morales this past weekend do what he did to Gilbert Burns, one of the toughest guys in the division... Both of those guys interest me that are ranked above me the most because they're strikers and I want to make a fight exciting and they bring it."
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Check out Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson's comments below:
Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson praises Michael Morales for win over Gilbert Burns
Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson also lauded Michael Morales for his first-round submission victory over Gilbert Burns.
In the aforementioned clip, Thompson mentioned that Morales showcased that he has a well-rounded skillset in addition to his striking. He said:
"[Morales] went out there and starched [Burns]. Guy's got great striking. He's powerful, he's got good takedown defense, good takedowns as well. Very well-rounded fighter."
Check out the full interview featuring Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson's comments below:
