Stephen Thompson was hoping to take on Joaquin Buckley in a five-rounder at UFC 307. He is the second-oldest member of the UFC roster behind Stipe Miocic but was expecting to have the edge in cardio against Buckley, who is 30.
The veteran is known for his Karate-inspired stance and crisp striking that often produces exciting matches. Many predict that Buckley won't try to grapple with "Wonderboy" to a decision unlike past opponents, generating a ton of hype for the welterweight matchup.
However, Thompson's wish for a five-rounder has become a far-fetched dream because his fight has been demoted to the UFC 307 prelims. While the rising prospect expects this to be his last free fight for the fans, Thompson is rather disappointed...
Stephen Thompson Believes His UFC 307 Bout Against Joaquin Buckley Could Have Replaced Other Fights On The Main Card
Thompson recently appeared in an interview on the Bodog Canada YouTube channel to discuss his upcoming bout and other UFC-related matters. He believes that his next fight should be a banger because Buckley's been keen to stand and trade with him.
The likes of Belal Muhammad, Shavkat Rakhmonov, and Gilbert Burns used their superior grappling to dominate "Wonderboy" which helped them gain ranks but didn't please the fans. On the other hand, Kevin Holland and Thompson delivered an instant classic as the former didn't take the fight to the ground despite getting pieced up on the feet.
A little weird at this point, knowing what kind of a fight this is going to be. You'd figure that they'd want to have all eyes on it. Now I'm not sure if it was because, you know, the last time I was supposed to fight in Salt Lake City my opponent didn't make weight. But, Joaquin Buckely is notorious for making weight so I know he's going to be a professional and we're going to go out there and have fun but yeah, it was a little disappointing like what's going on.
"Wonderboy" was reminded in the interview that he last fought on the prelims on September 22, 2013, against Chris Clements. After eleven long years, he's back to fighting on the prelims which is unsurprisingly a bummer for the veteran who never backs down to face young challengers looking to climb the welterweight rankings.
The American kickboxer, being the NMF, didn't name names but stated that his fight could've been picked over some fights on the UFC 307 main card. Regardless, he and Buckley have promised to give fans a thrilling battle and prove why they deserved to be on the main card.
It's wild. I don't know why they put that on the card. I mean, there's some fights on the main card that I think should be on the prelims but you know, it is what it is.