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Speaking to BT Sport, UFC welterweight contender Stephen Thompson has stated that he is prepared for the BJJ skills of his UFC 264 opponent Gilbert Burns..
"Everybody asks me 'You are fighting one of the best jiu-jitsu practitioners in the game. Does that scare you?' Listen, I will never be as good as Gilbert Burns on the ground. I just won't. But every fight starts standing up and I'm confident in my takedown defense." Stephen Thompson said.
'Wonderboy' then went on to explain how training with high-level MMA fighters has prepared him for his upcoming with with 'Durinho'.
"Training with Chris Weidman for years. I got good wrestling guys at the gym, that I brought in, you know, I got Ryan Hall and Carlos Machado coming in...So that's helped me prepare for this [fight with Gilbert Burns]. So, you know, wherever the fight goes, I'm gonna be prepared for it. And win or lose man, I'm gonna have a smile on my face." Stephen Thompson added.
The 38-year-old also praised his opponent Burns, calling him a nice guy.
"What better guy to fight against than another NMF such as Gilbert Burns. He's a super nice dude. I met him after Vicente Luque [fight]. He was in his corner. I met his son and everything. So, super cool."
Stephen Thompson will take on Gilbert Burns in the co-main event of UFC 264. The winner of this fight could go on to potentially fight for the 170-pound title next.
The card will be headlined by a blockbuster trilogy fight between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
"It doesn't make sense to me" - Stephen Thompson believes Colby Covington is undeserving of the next title shot.
Stephen Thompson has also shared his thoughts on Colby Covington possibly getting the next title shot against welterweight king Kamaru Usman.
"It does not make sense to me how this guy [Colby Covington] can sit back after one fight and then get, I mean literally, the next fight be another title shot," said Stephen Thompson.
'Wonderboy' is currently on a two-fight winning streak that includes impressive performances against Vicente Luque and Geoff Neal.
If the 38-year-old manages to beat Gilbert Burns at UFC 264, he could have a pretty strong argument for a third shot at welterweight gold.
